From the President

Seasons in Our Lives                                       

Wow, every year at this time in the summer we all stand back and say, “Where has the summer gone.” And then we start planning on what we can get packed into the next 2-3 weeks before school starts and we are all looking into the face of fall. What is it about summer that makes us all want to hang onto every minute of it until it is gone? Is it the fact that our children are out of school and we can pick up and go places with them? Is it that the sun lulls and warms us to the very core of our being and we want to just sit and soak it in? Is it that we have longer days of sunlight, which means that we are outside and busy for 18 hours of the day? It is probably a good thing then that we have long winters for catching up on our sleep and rest then!

Summer- what do you think of when you hear that word? What memories does that bring to your mind and tears at your heartstrings? Does it have anything to do with the outdoors? Is it that camping trip that you took as a child that still brings the smiles to your face and a little chuckle over a funny story that goes along with it? Is it the first fishing trip that a grandparent or parent took you on and you caught that huge 4 inch sunfish and thought that you could do anything from that point on? Or the days at the softball diamonds watching and practicing with your siblings and then with your children to learn how to play well? Or maybe it is that trip that your family all took and piled into the old station wagon and drove for hours to go see Mount Rushmore and the Hills?

But what about the next season- fall or autumn? That is truly my favorite season of all of them. The show of colors as the leaves turn to red, yellows and then fall to the ground only so that we can tramp through them to hear them crunch under our feet, or to rake them up only to jump into the piles and bury into them? The cool crisp early morning air that makes you want to take just one more deep breath and remember it forever.

And what memories does fall make you think of? How about picking those pumpkins to carve and to paint to place on the front steps to decorate for fall? And then roasting the pumpkin seeds and eating them, or making pumpkin pies- ooh the smell of those pies in the oven baking were awesome! How about that first time that your big brother took you on that first pheasant hunt and you shot the 410 shotgun? It really did not matter that you hit the pheasant or not, because you had your big brother all to yourself for those few minutes teaching you how to hunt, what to watch for, safety issues and just talking as you walk through the tall grasses and the corn. But if you did get lucky and hit that bird, wow, he thought you as a little sister was absolutely awesome for coming along and hunting with him (and that he was the great teacher for helping you learn that quickly).

And then there was that huge deer with a rack that you swear was bigger then he was walking out onto the edge of the corn field. And all you could do is stand there and watch him, because he is just a magnificent creature that God created. Your brother will get over the fact that yes you had the gun and the permit and could have taken a good safe shot, but hey he was way too pretty of an animal to shoot!

And then the snow will start to fall all around us and it will turn to winter. Winter time, the time to sit back and find a good book to read, to cut some firewood and just relax beside the fireplace and do nothing, right? Oh no, it is the time to get outside again and build a snow fort and have snowball fights with your family members and make snow angels in fresh fallen snow and to eat icicles or go sledding down the steep hills and roll and tumble in the snow. And then you go back inside and have a cup of hot tea or hot chocolate and feel the warmth all the way down to your frozen toes and you know that this is the good life right here. And if you were in my family you would have to get out board games and play Parcheesi or Checkers, or Life or get out the cards and play a few games all the while laughing and talking to each other as a family.

And then just when you think that you cannot stand to see one more snow storm dump another 12- 20 inches of snow on you and you have to shovel the snow off the driveway and the feeders for the livestock it starts to melt and the days slowly start to get longer. You know what is coming don’t you? It is spring time, the time when everything comes back to life, with the grass turns green, and the trees start to leaf out again, the pasque flowers bloom in the pastures. It is the time of rebirth for the entire world around you. Remember the muddy fields with the baby calves being born, and the first robin that comes to your yard. You know that spring is here for sure when you see that robin and you sigh a sigh of relief for making it through the harsh cold winter. And now you get busy with the planting of crops, gardens, and flowers to enjoy during the summer months ahead. And as you look back you know that you have enjoyed another year with your loved ones making some great memories!

These are the seasons in our lives. We can either run from them and not participate in them because they are too cold, too hot, too much snow, too muddy or whatever or we can adjust and find the great things that each one offers to us and get busy making some memories that will last us throughout our entire lifetime. My advice is to get outside and make some memories- do activities with your family members that you will be able to laugh and remember for many seasons to come. And to enjoy what is left of this summer
and remember- “ To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; a time to rend, and a time to sew, a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time of peace.” Ecclesiastes 3:1-8


                                                                       

May Schaefer,

President of OWSD