Seasons

When you have a 4 year old filled with questions about life, you find the questions about death difficult to answer sometimes...
This past week we lost a member of our family... with death brings questions... for adults and children
At 4 the knowledge that someone has died is simple... matter of a fact... with no emotion
For adults it is filled with questioning, questioning themselves, their own mortality, the choices they would make in that individuals place, how to feel about the situation, and faith.

In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps.  Proverbs 16:9

We spent the holiday weekend up in Tioga county at a cabin and we got to see the effects of a storm that passed through the valley earlier this spring.

We had heard about it, but we got to see first hand the power  the wind had over the trees in the woods.
My 4 year old had MANY questions about how the tree's came down and why the tree's came down.  We explained the best we could that this was part of life that tree's grow big and sometimes too big that the smaller trees underneath don't get enough sun go grow properly. It is all part of Gods plan to clean out the forest and give the smaller tree's a chance to grow.

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

It was difficult for my 4 year old to understand why the tree's were down and to him it was very sad... He could physically see the tree's down, and we would pass them every day.. it was more upsetting than death...

To us (the adults) it is easy to understand...the tree's down demonstrated to us the changes that need to occur to continue a healthy forest... There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens. Eccleasiastes 3:1

Man isn't a tree and Tree's are not equal to Men but loss can be felt for each..
Life is short and we are here to serve the LORD in our actions and our words... our whole lives... I struggle with my own selfishness and worry about my failures... take too much pride in my successes...stress about "looking good"...I hope when I go no one will question my love for the Lord and everyone will rejoice along with me.

Always in our Memory: Micheal John