Seasons

By Helena Cabral

Can you feel it? The change of a new season has begun. Fall is here. There’s a dramatic shift happening from the hazy diffused hues of Summer. What comes to mind for this season: vibrancy, boldness, texture, strength… transition. The days may be warm, but the nights soon will turn chill and crisp. The final harvest is brought in and what has been sown is reaped.

The Autumn Woman

Are you an Autumn woman? The Autumn woman is one who is committed to the broader community, a giving woman. Once she discovers her value and heals from the sorrows she experienced in the winters of her life, she has a responsibility to give back.

She recognizes the needs beyond the walls of her personal world and explores ways to give as she prepares a new dream or broadens the old. She also learns that her being is more important than her doing. She learns to renew her personal spirit by sitting quietly before God. This is a season of faith. That what she accomplishes has meaning. She begins to see the purpose for the winters, summers, and springs of her life. The purpose in former sufferings and in her own personal journey. I urge you to read Hebrews 12- the whole chapter- but particularly, Hebrews 12:11 (NIV): “No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.”

There’s wisdom in this scripture. The Autumn woman has been trough the refiner’s fire. She has been disciplined and she yields in this season of “the peaceful fruit of righteousness”

The Autumn woman is one who: • Understands the process of growth • Learns power and peace through personal discipline • Gives out of her storehouse of harvested produce for the benefit of others. She acts for the common good, not in self -interest.

In which season are you at? It’s important to identify this, the season that best describes you. Only you can make that discovery. It’s a deeper understanding of

self, of your personal walk with the Lord.

I’ll briefly go over the other seasons. Perhaps it will resonate and help you rediscover

The Winter Woman

Personally, I view this season as a time of slumber, grieving, decay, even death. The days shorten and the vibrant colors of autumn/fall turn rapidly to dark gray.

Snow falls, plants are dormant. Trees drop their leaves and the animal world sleeps and withdraws. It’s a season of resting and waiting.

The winter woman is grieving, plunged into times of transition and the upheaval of change. She has experienced loss, despair, helplessness, hopelessness, anger, depression. She sees life in shades of black, has more questions than answers. She faces a season of endings.

We have faced many winters in life. We will continue to face many winters in life. The winter woman can navigate this season, knowing deeply that there is a purpose in accepting the changes in her body, her productivity, and her relationships. If the woman runs from this season, she may end up bitter, depressed, and unfulfilled.

The winter woman is one who: • Understands the nature of grief • Understands the grieving process • Prepares for her chronological winter season

The Spring Woman

Springs creeps in, under cover of a lingering winter clouds and storms. When the skies clear, we are surprised by the brilliant yellows of blooming daffodils, forsythia, and acacia. Fields are tilled, fertilized, and seeded for summer harvest. As the weeks pass, spring unfolds in waves of color and birds singing…

The Spring woman must face her fears and learn the process of forgiveness. She finds joy and excitement in new beginnings. Embraces new ideas and opportunities, dreams, discovers what makes her heart sing. She chooses life, lets go of sorrow, and embraces hope. It’s a season of joy, excitement, and seed planting.

The Spring Woman tasks: • To move out of winter. She says goodbye to the old and welcomes the new, by embracing the “child” of the past.

• To formulate a dream by learning the power of praying, seeking support, friendship, and encouragement of others; also, by choosing a season of spiritual beginnings.

The Summer Woman

Summer is a season of first fruits and early harvests. Storms don’t last long and are followed by the warmth of the sun. The summer woman is a woman of balance and self-confidence; she knows her limitations and abilities. This is a time she deepens who she is, what she wants, where she is going and with whom. Profound friendships, and a renewal of her spiritual commitment. It’s an active season. She is independent and interdependent, individuated and connected. She values herself, has a deep sense of self, and an accurate perception of her strengths and weaknesses. She is nurtured by the value others have of her. But the journey is a difficult one. She must successfully passthrough winter and spring. The main task of the summer woman is to develop her ego strength. She demonstrates it when she: • Weathers transitions, reevaluates her dreams, and celebrates her choices. • Finds emotional balance • Finds her own unique voice • Discovers the mirrors that define her Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (New American Standard Bible) A Time for Everything

3 There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every matter under heaven— 2 A time to give birth and a time to die; A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted. 3 A time to kill and a time to heal; A time to tear down and a time to build up. 4 A time to weep and a time to laugh; A time to mourn and a time to dance. 5 A time to throw stones and a time to gather stones; A time to embrace and a time to shun embracing. 6 A time to search and a time to give up as lost; A time to keep and a time to throw away. 7 A time to tear apart and a time to sew together; A time to be silent and a time to speak. 8 A time to love and a time to hate; A time for war and a time for peace.

Helena Cabral is a writer, speaker, mother of three, and personal assistant to Jacqueline Ani, founder of The Mentoring Group for International Women. Born and raised in Portugal, and of Cape Verdean descent, Helena is a multilingual who speaks, reads and writes Portuguese, Spanish, French and English fluently and with flare. At the age of 19, December of 1991, Helena left her home to come to America and pursue her studies. She draws from her own life story to convey her personal life experiences, growth and of quest of a woman in pursuit of her identity. Helena’s journey of healing began trough fervent prayers, and mentorship through this multinational cohort of women, the collective engagement through powerful teachings, fellowship with like-minded believers, learning a deeper understanding of the Word trough her local ministry, and its relevancy in her life. Restoration, hope, and wholeness truly began and are evident in her writing. Driven by a passion for women’s development and elevation, Helena’s goal is to empower, inspire with the love of Christ, and encourage hurting and vulnerable women to “pursue, overtake and recover all”, according to 1 Samuel 30:8. She currently resides in Maryland, USA.