Seasons are encapsulated miracles. They are predictable pockets of time and temperature and change that come and cycle as comforting markers of the year. Each season ushers in new celebrations and even challenges for everyone, especially parents.  

Summer 

Here we stand in the month of June. It is a time when we are coasting into the final weeks of school and into the shimmer of summer vacation. The sun burns brighter and later into the day. In the waning school days, I advise parents to use extreme caution. Not against the UV rays, but rather for kids who can trick you into thinking there are plenty of hours left in the day to get that homework done. It is easy to lose track of time as the days stay lighter later.  

The whole of summer presents childcare issues with choosing just the right camp or daycare situation outside the bounds of preschools, as well as elementary and middle schools. As a parent now of a middle-school-aged summer camper, I have found myself asking my son, “Are you sure you like the idea of All-Sports Robotic Lego Bible Camp before I pay for this?”  

It is also time to start the genuine revitalization of those friendships that can facilitate pool visits. Being a member or a humble-and-ever-appreciative guest, like me, of a great pool is always a vital puzzle piece to any of the dog days. I remember growing up in California that my favorite neighbors were a lively and convivial Italian couple who let the Lambrusco flow freely with my parents and let us kids splash wildly in their crystal-clear backyard oasis.

Fall 

Invariably, you will hear from many that this is their favorite season. It is the gateway into cooler temperatures, the normalcy of school day schedules and the reignition of sports seasons. The hot chocolate emerges and everything pumpkin floods the marketplace. For families, it is a time to get back on the sidelines of the soccer or baseball fields and to bundle up and helpfully cheer things like ‘Hit that ball!” or “Go score that goal!” with the best of them.   

I personally love fall as a soccer coach who adores the chance to dust off the whistle and dive headfirst into the chaos of the car trunk for the practice cones and balls. If I am out front of the house, and you see sports equipment and old energy bar wrappers flying while my feet are sticking out of the trunk, you know it is me getting ready for the start of the season.  

We all fret about bus schedules and bell schedules with intense well-meaning focus, knowing full well we will just simply downgrade in the winter to internally saying, “We’re doing the best we can. We can forgive the four tardies this week.’

Winter  

It is the time of hunkering down inside. When outside, it means more clothing to keep up with. It means that the school lost-and-found bin is jammed tight with our children’s hoodies, scarves and gloves. 

It is the time of year where the local forecast can be monitored by me like an Air Force soldier watching a radar for signs of the enemy. We live in a region that is not altogether used to inclement winter weather. Because of this, abundant caution is the rule of the day when it comes to schools. During winter, parents can feel like their kids are out of school more than in school. Thanksgiving, Christmas, a whole host of national holidays and snow days reign supreme on the school calendar leaving parents with full-time jobs outside of the home in a quandary. All this being said, it is “the season.” It is the season to wish everyone “Season’s Greetings,” and so it clearly can be argued that winter is the most lively and celebratory season. The icicles and lights twinkle with the magic of the season, and such is the backdrop to a million memories. 

Spring 

The flowers and the raucous weather make for a varied re-emergence into the sunshine. Once again, it is time to start making noise in the garage and car trunks to rediscover the sports equipment. It is now time to breathe life back into the chilled bones and dust off the walking shoes. For this writer, it is also the time to wrestle with the foil packets of allergy medicine, as the North Carolina pollen is pure evil. Perhaps that is a dramatic statement; however, after my 126th sneeze for the day, I think otherwise. Lawn mowers whir, and yard work abounds. It is a glorious time to slide open the windows and let the light (and pollen) in. Who can resist the color and renewal of spring?

And, so remember the lyrics of the song “Turn, turn, turn” by the Byrds – 

To everything turn, turn, turn
There is a season turn, turn, turn

Keep turning into the seasons and bend with them. We are definitely blessed in Forsyth County to witness all four seasons of our year and revel in the infinite colors and experiences of each.  

Here is hoping you embrace the “turn, turn, turn” of it all.