For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.

~Ecclesiastes 3:1 NLT

Seasons pass, but one of ours seemed to hang around longer than we wanted.

The spring of our season came with Mom falling and breaking her wrist. Since my stepfather had Alzheimer’s and could barely care for himself, we made plans to place Mom in a skilled nursing facility. She wasn’t excited, and neither were we, but we had no choice. Neither she nor my stepfather could afford in-home round-the-clock care.

Soon after placing Mom there, my stepfather’s cognitive ability declined even more rapidly. The time came when his staying alone became dangerous. The neurologist told us he, too, needed skilled nursing care. We made plans to place him where Mom was. But his children had other plans.

None of his children had been crazy about him remarrying after their mom died—and they surely didn’t want him to marry Mom. They knew her because she and my stepfather’s first wife were first cousins. So, they whisked my stepfather back to his hometown and declined to let him see or speak to Mom, thus separating husband and wife, both of whom had Alzheimer’s.

But even these two things wouldn’t end our season. In the fall of our season, my mother-in-law, who had lived with us for more than a year, had a mini stroke and fell in the kitchen, hitting her head in the process. We knew if she ever fell, she would probably not survive long afterward. And she didn’t. Within one day, we had her in the local hospice house, and within four days, she was gone.

The writer reminds us that God has a season for everything in our lives. As of this writing, ours has lasted two years and will continue as long as Mom and my stepfather live. But it has changed a bit, lessening the stress on my wife and me.

Yet, no matter the season or its intensity, one thing remains sure: we can count on God to hold our hand and guide us through whatever season He initiates or allows our enemy to bring. And if we trust Him, we can grow spiritually during those seasons and learn life lessons to pass along to our posterity.

Don’t dread the seasons of life. Learn to enjoy the journey, even when the journey is not enjoyable.

Father, thank You for guiding and sustaining me through every season of life.  

Genre: Non-fiction

Copyright 2025: Seasons Pass: Martin Wiles: All Rights Reserved.