The Four Seasons of Opportunity

On Saturday, I hiked along the base of the Lumpy Ridge in Rocky Mountain National Park, enjoying the crisp air and the vivid purple of the late summer - early fall asters. As I walked along, I thought of all the other times I've hiked into this same location in the past year. I pondered the fact that the progression of seasons in the world of Nature serves as an encouraging reminder that opportunities to express our gifts also go through seasonal changes. In the winter, things may seem frozen, with little opportunity for us to share our gifts or to make a living through them.

 

 

But sooner or later, circumstances begin to thaw, allowing new and fresh opportunities to bud, perhaps only tentatively at first. 

 

 

Then, in the full bloom of summer, things really heat up, and we find ample situations to express our calling.

 

 

Finally, in the autumn, we reflect with nostalgia on all that has been accomplished through us, and we begin to take on the glow of contemplation. 

 

 

In my own case, the wintertime slumbering of opportunity to express my gifts - or to make a living through them - often seems to last a long time. This is true in part because I have not been led to become a permanent part of any institution or religious denomination. Being an adjunct professor reminds me that my services can be axed at any time. And fulfilling my vocation as a member of the "Invisible Church" allows for the Spirit to flow more freely, but tends to limit the number of people who come into contact with my work, especially in this crazy institution-oriented society we live in. But the progression of the seasons reminds me that the springtime of opportunity WILL come if I am patient for it. If I had my say, though, I would prefer to experience a little more SUMMER

Photos: The Lumpy Ridge in four seasons; Rocky Mountain National Park, CO.  The first photo has purple asters and was taken on September 6, 2014.  The second photo features winter alpenglow on November 23, 2013.  The third photo reveals a Ball Cactus in bloom on May 13, 2013.  The fourth photo features sunflowers, also taken on September 6, 2014.  And the fifth photo shows aspen trees in the mist on October 5, 2012.