There is a Season

"... In an achievement-driven society, life is not a thing of seasons; life is a product to be perfected and perserved. To this mind, it is never possible to simply go on, past the things of the past to the realities of the present. No, those who live by measuring-sticks rather than by the meaning of the present moment are intent on gaining and grasping. Letting go is not virtue to them. Letting go is loss..." -- so sayeth Joan Chittister in There is a Season

Her words have stayed on the top of my mind since I read them last week. In her introduction to the famous Ecclesiastes passage about everything having a particular time and season, she unpacks how our understanding of time has limited us in our relationships to self, God, and others. As she encourages us to see time in cycles or seasons, she leads us away from the count-down mentality that we often use. I confess that I often fall victim to the sales pitch of life as product. Constantly trying to improve, become wiser or stronger, more compassionate, more reflective, and on and on, I tend to live as if life were something to be achieved. As if there would be a top 10 at the end of time.

There is much to be said about her book. Let me commend both it and the artist to you:

Joan Chittister's There is a Season with artwork by John August Swanson.

http://www.johnaugustswanson.com/

Swanson's artwork can be purchased through the National Association for Hispanic Elderly at: http://www.anppm.org/NonProfitStore/