Dear Cornerstone Family,
Just a few short weeks ago, we were experiencing the beautiful season of Advent, filled with the anticipation of Christmas, everything full of sparkle and Bing Crosby. Then it was New Year’s and toasts, black-eyed peas and collard greens, hope for 2022 hanging in the air like confetti in Times Square. And then a blizzard to cap it all off! (I’m a middle Tennessee native – my definition of blizzard may be slightly different from yours.) Pure magic.
And then the season of the post-holiday let-down.
We are in the season of darkness, literally and figuratively, for many. And February, while technically short, looms long for those who prefer the never-ending light of summer. What is there to look forward to? Valentine’s Day? No. I’ll likely spend it on the bleachers at a basketball game (yelling at refs). My birthday? Nope. “Sweet 43” doesn’t have quite the same ring as “Sweet 16.” And no one’s gifting me a car, I feel sure.
But soon, the season will change. The light will be longer, buttercups will poke through newly thawed earth, followed by tulips and forsythia, and I will eagerly hop on our Bad Boy and mow the grass for the first time. Then the calendar page will turn, and the season will be the blistering one, with 95 degree days as far as the forecast can see, and I will be paying our daughters to take my turn on the mower, and they should probably take a turn weed-eating, too! The page will turn again, and the season will bring leaves in full color, the temperature will cool to a tolerable mercury level, and then we will be back at Advent.
The older I get (see “Sweet 43”) the more obvious it is to me that life is moving. The calendar pages are flipping at warp speed. And I don’t know that I really want time to slow down, because I know the end of this story, but I want to actually be present in these days, to think about where I am, not just on the calendar, but on the life spectrum. About the season God has me in.
At our 2022 Women’s Retreat, we will take time to reflect on just that. To spend time thinking about the seasons of our lives—from dark, painful times (winter), to fresh, new times (spring), to the days of monotony and mundanity (summer), to days of change (fall). We will be led by our guest speaker, Martie Kwasny, in reflecting on God’s goodness as we remember His faithfulness to us during each season, as well as in spending time thinking ahead, asking ourselves what our kingdom calling is during each season. We will also think practically about how we can serve one another well as we live out our calling as the body of Christ, walking together through all the seasons of life.
I sincerely hope you will come February 4 and 5 for this special time together. In addition to being a meaningful time of learning and reflection, it will also be a meaningful time of fun! We only do this every other year, so if you don’t come this time, it will be eight whole seasons before you have another chance! Join us, Sisters.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.
Grace,
Martha Brooks