Seasons

I’ve never been this sentient of the reality of time as at the present. Having been living in Tokyo for almost 10 months and passing through Ueno Park every day on my way to school, I feel like I am continuously reminded of the existence of this so called the fourth dimension. The reason is obvious; I’ve been witnessing Ueno Park transforming itself with the changing of the season. It is amazing to see how different Ueno Park can be from time to time. When I arrived in April, the whole park was pink because the sakura were blooming. Not so long, the sakura were gone, and the fresh green leaves appeared in numbers. The pond didn’t want to get behind, suddenly one day all the hibernating water lilies were alive and the new buds were sprang up. Slowly but surely those buds turned themselves into beautiful blossoms. As the time went by, the water lilies were withering, and the leaves were changing their color into lovely sorrel. It didn’t last long and the leaves finally withered too. At the moment, everything is again crawling back into hibernation during the winter. Different they might be, yet each season brought its own beauty, and I am grateful for the privilege to eyewitness each and every wonderful change.

Ueno Park in spring

Ueno Park in summer

Ueno Park in autumn

Ueno Park in winter

As I am grateful for the season and the magnificent beauty it brings for specific period of time, so am I grateful for my life. My life too changes from time to time. It’s not always as good as I expected, in fact so often many things seems to be deviated. The hardest thing is to find the beauty of each change, to be content and thankful. For the times when doubts and fears overcome all, the only thing I can do is to remember that everything is never outside the reach of the lovingkindness of the One who owns our lives. I know that at some point later I can look back, understand that everything happens for a reason, and confirm that “to everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under the sun”.

And now, I am ready to greet the new year. I don't know what will happen next year. But one thing for sure, I can always depend on Him, the owner of my life.