Time is elusive. Time is relative. But time can also be measured. For instance, seasons come and go. Every year, in my neck of the woods, I know I’ll experience Summer, Fall, Winter, and Spring. Seasons here are cyclical. And yet, if you look back in time, years are not so easily put back together. When I think of a year ago, I rarely look at the cycle of the seasons, I simply look back on meaningful events. But what about all the regular everyday events? How about the dinners made? Or the loads of laundry done?

Eight Years

Thirty-two seasons ago, I became a mother for the first time. It’s difficult to remember each season. It’s almost impossible to remember those everyday events. It’s bittersweet to think that there were years of my life where I was only called JoAnna. Thirty-two seasons ago, I gained a new title, Momma. And while I’ve existed longer without the title, I’m grateful to be in this season of my life.

Motherhood is a blessing. I’m forever grateful for the opportunity to raise two humans. I’m a firm believer in what William Martin said in my favorite parenting book, The Parent’s Tao Te Ching: Ancient Advice for Modern Parents, “Few things in this world are as important as raising children. In every age, every era, every time and place, children are our treasures, our future, our immortality—the vital link in the chain of humanity.”

I’ve heard people say they don’t want to have children because the world is such a terrible place. I like to look at it from a different, more positive perspective. I want to purposefully raise my children so the future of the world will be better. And while I’ve experienced some of the terrible things the world has to offer, I’ve also realized those exact experiences have molded me into the person I am today. It’s a little like childbirth. The pain is fierce, but the end result is worth it.

As Tina Turner wrote in her book, Happiness Becomes You: A Guide to Changing Your Life for Good, “Rising from the ashes of my earlier life, I learned that our thoughts, words, and deeds are unified through spiritual practice. They are made whole within us. And when our thoughts, words, and deeds are aligned with our most positive intentions, magic happens.”

Seasons of Life

We will never be able to completely avoid pain. Pain and hurt are unfortunately a season of human existence. But the perspective we gain when we rise above the pain makes us who we are and allows us to enter into the seasons filled with magic and positive action.

And while time may seem to fly by, the regular everyday thoughts, words, and events shape our perspectives and form us and the people around us to make the world a better place.