My favorite time of year is the first two weeks of each season. Does it get any better than the first blossoms or the first fallen leaves or the first snowflakes?
I’ve adored the blossoming Bradford pear trees flourishing throughout Salt Lake City. Sure, they smell like rotten fish, but the scent always takes me back to the nostalgia and fond memories of spring breaks past.
I’ve noticed the delicate white blossoms now entirely gone from the trees, and it grieves me that I won’t see my compadres again until next spring.
But I also recognize the beauty of Heavenly Father’s plan through the changing weather.
Our infinitely loving God shows us that every season has its time. This beautiful world is divine proof that we were never meant to stand still in any one phase of life.
Yes, we savored the snowflakes and hot chocolate of winter, but now let’s welcome the rebirth of spring. And yes, we’ll eventually leave behind the tulips in full bloom, but we’ll come to delight in the warmth of summer.
There are moments to cherish now, the seasons teach us, but even greater moments to embrace stepping forward.
There are moments to cherish now, the seasons teach us, but even greater moments to embrace stepping forward.
The author of Ecclesiastes knew this well, it seems. We read in chapter 3, verses 1-7:
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
“A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which 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 cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
“A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
“A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.”
Such simplicity of demarcated seasons gets lost in the busyness of day-to-day life. Maybe we’re hesitant to let go of a past grudge or apprehensive about future life decisions. But as we trust the Lord’s plan, He shows us that past, present and future seasons all have a time and a place.
In the April 2026 general conference, President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency, testified that continual prayer through life’s circumstances brings the Lord’s peace and abiding support.
“Consistent prayer during joyous times and also during seasons of distress and grief will surely be rewarded according to His will and perfect timing,” he said.
We might let a past mistake or sin or regret or affliction hold us back in a past season. Our Savior’s hopeful example, however, shows us how to move forward into a new season.
Young Women General President Emily Belle Freeman, also in the April 2026 conference, said: “Jesus Christ knows all about best days and worst days: suffering so great that an angel was sent to strengthen Him, the betrayal of a good friend, the cross on Calvary.
“But His story also has a garden, a stone rolled away and an empty tomb. Because of Him, no matter how bad things are right now, your best days are ahead. Jesus Christ is our strength.”
I remember one winter years back that seemed to last forever.
On a particularly snowy day, I looked nature right in the eyes and tenderly said, “It’s OK — let it go. Winter had its season, but it’s over now. It’s OK to move forward and blossom. Spring needs you.”
A couple of weeks later, I was feeling horrible for a mistake I made in a calling, and I felt like a failure who would never measure up. Then as I looked out the window, what did I see? The once-barren trees now blossoming in their spring glory.
It was as if the flourishing trees were trying to tell me something: “It’s OK — let it go. Winter had its season, but it’s over now. It’s OK to move forward and blossom. Spring needs you.”
Our loving God — He who grows blossoms on the trees and guides the falling of leaves and directs the snowflakes through the breeze — certainly sets times for our own growth into new seasons.
I know that because of our Savior’s atoning sacrifice, we can move forward to warmer seasons, no matter how frigid our winter may have been.
— Joel Randall is a reporter for the Church News.
