To everything there is a season

Fall is officially here in Jyväskylä as evidenced by...

 

 

the splash of red, orange, and yellow that covers the trees, sidewalks...

 

 

and bike paths;

 

 

the hues of pale pastel that appear at dusk (this was taken on my ride home, just around the corner from where I'm staying);

 

 

the rain and mushrooms;

 

 

and the first hail and snowstorm of the year (Sept. 25th). (It was a perfectly clear and cold morning on the 25th as I biked to the university.  A few hours later my officemate said, "Hey--it's hailing!"  A few hours later it looked like this:

 

 

 a clear, crisp fall day.  The weather here is unpredictable.

 

With the fall season comes the Festival of Lights here in Jyvaskyla.  It's an event I look forward to every year!  This year we went down to the river to see...

 

 

 

 

small boats made of paper-mache launched from the riverbank after the candles they were carrying were lit.  

 

It was an incredible sight!  Eija and Riitta had staked out the perfect perch from the bridge above the launch-point to see the boats light up the river.  It felt like the scene out of the movie Tangled (except that these 'lanterns' floated down the river rather than up into the sky).

 

 

The blue lights on the right line the riverbank. The red lights are under the water and the yellow lights are the boats with the launch site in the foreground on the right side of the picture.

 

 

This is what the river looked like in the daytime the next day (when we went to see Katie and her choir sing as they floated down the river in kayaks).

 

 

These are the boats up close at the launch site. 
(My camera is quite gifted at capturing these moments.)

 

 

 

I then met Kirsti, Katie, and Aila down on the river.  As I stood on the bridge looking down at the launch site, I thought, "It's unfortunate that those on the riverbank are missing this sight."  When I found myself down close to the water, it hadn't occurred to me to look up.  But when I did, I thought, "Oh--I feel  bad for those on the bridge who are missing out on admiring the bridge from below." 

 

 

From there we headed down to the city center to another event: A moving light show.  We weren't sure what it was about, but thought it sounded interesting.

 

 

Check it out!

 

 

The fall season means that many elderly friends spend more time indoors...which means more opportunities to visit them at their homes.  Kirsti potted these beautiful winter plants for some older women in our congregation.  It was wonderful to be able to join Kirsti, Katie, and Aila when they dropped them off and visited with the sweet women. 

 

 

And there's nothing quite like enjoying pumpkin soup and gluten-free crispbread (made especially for me!) with a dear friend in her new home.  (You know who you are dearest friend!!)

 

 

I love hot yoga.  This is the hot yoga studio here in JKL.  Kirsti, Katie and I joined some of Kirsti's colleagues for a hot yoga class on Saturday.  It was...interesting.  It was like taking a big gulp of clear liquid thinking it was water only to discover (quite quickly) that it was Sprite.  It's not that it's a bad thing, it's just not what you were expecting.  Oh Bikram.  I miss you like I miss a glass of ice cold water!!

 

 

These last 2 years I've worked with the youth group at church (girls 12-18 years old) on developing their leadership skills and helping them work towards earning their Personal Progress award (which is similar to the Eagle Scout award for those in Boy Scouts).

(More here: https://www.lds.org/young-women/personal-progress?lang=eng)

It's been a delight and an honor to work with these youth and the other leaders. Last Sunday was my last day to work with them. I was able to teach the lesson which was a sweet way to wrap up this season.  The lesson was on honesty: being honest with yourself, with others, and with God.  It was a really special experience to listen to these young women talk about the challenges they face in standing for truth, choosing the right, and being honest--and also speak of the confidence and inner peace that comes by being honest nonetheless.  They are young women of great character!

This has been a season of service and growth that I will remember for many years to come.

 

 

As I've thought about the changing of seasons and the seasons of life, I've thought so much about the importance of living and loving the season in which we currently live. Today marks 20 years since my grandfather passed away unexpectedly. Our family had moved to Texas the year before he passed.  Among the reasons that contributed to my parents' decision to change career paths and uproot their family was the desire for us to be close to our grandparents.  It gave us 14 months together.  I'm grateful that my G'ma and G'pa chose to use their free time as recent retirees spending it with us.  I'll always cherish our time together.  One of the lessons that experience continues to teach me is to live in the present season and take full advantage of the opportunities that it affords.

 

I've been reading The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis (1961: 68) and was struck by this quote:

 

The humans live in time, but our Enemy destines them to eternity. He therefore, I believe, wants them to attend to two things, to eternity itself and to that point of time which they call the Present. For the Present is the point at which time touches eternity. ... in it alone freedom and actuality are offered them. He would therefore have them continually concerned either with eternity (which means concerned with Him) or with the Present--either meditating on their eternal union with, or separation from, Himself, or else obeying the present voice of conscience, bearing the present cross, receiving the present grace, giving thanks for the present pleasure. 

 

 

 

I look forward to the season in which we'll be reunited again with our sweet G'pa John. Until then, though, I'm grateful for this season of life--for the challenges, the opportunities, and the beautiful experiences that are unique to it.

 

Here's to living in the Present!