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It’s that time of year again. Facebook is filled with pictures of smiling children in stiff new clothes, strapped to bulky backpacks, waiting for rumbling buses. Nothing says Changing Seasons like the start of a new school year. Even those of us who haven’t sent a child off to school for a decade or two feel the shift in the breeze. And, mostly, we embrace it.

Not all changing seasons are pleasant, of course. For the child going off to college, the new scene is excitement, challenge, and endless possibilities. For the mother left at home, it is echoing hallways, empty bedrooms, and fewer plates on the table. (Until we manage to seize the day and turn that bedroom into an art studio or something.)

Some changes are more permanent and crushing than a simple transition, though. Death, divorce, loss of friendships. It is hard to find the possibilities in those things. My grandfather, who had tasted some bitter changes through his life, often included the following phrase in his public prayers: And, please reconcile us to the changing scenes of this life…

I’ve taken that phrase to heart. Along with my mother’s admonition that we see every stage of life as the best one ever. And the philosophy creeps into my writing. You will find it in Catherine when she tries to reconcile some changing scenes in Thirty Days to Glory. Never one to miss a shameless plug, I suggest you add the book to your Christmas wish list. Read it in the empty bedroom if you are needing some perspective.