Casting Nets
For everything, there is a season

Chuck Randle

The author of Ecclesiastes wrote, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven: a time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up what is planted; a time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; a time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; a time to throw away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to seek, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to throw away; a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; a time to love, and a time to hate; a time for war, and a time for peace."

This speaks to us of the rhythms of life which we all experience. The rhythms are related to the rites of passage through which all of us move. Most of us can remember leaving home to go to school, whether kindergarten or college; or the first time we felt that "we were in love"; walking across the stage to receive our diploma; that time we held our baby for the first time; the experience of defeat; the first day of retirement, plus a myriad of other experiences...experiences that provide rhythmic sequences through which we lives our lives. For many, this process begins next week as our children return to school some for the first time, others as they move into a new school environment. May this rhythm of life be meaningful and rewarding for those who leave home for a few hours, or for an entire semester, as well as those who remain home.