An engineer’s perspective of seasons

Late last night I had to go out to one of our pastures to check on a brush fire I had been nursing along all day long to get rid of a bunch of unwanted, invasive “trees” that seem to thrive along fence lines. I took a flashlight that really needed a set of new batteries so badly that it was of almost no use at all. But no matter, the clear sky was so bright that as soon as my eyes adjusted, I didn’t need a flashlight. The stars and planets gave an abundance of light, especially out here in the country where we don’t have traffic lights and neon signs to spoil the view. 

I was humbled anew about the mystery and majesty of it all and how little understanding I have of our earth, let alone our solar system, galaxy and the universe. As I look around our culture today I get the sense that we think we’re the smartest, most sophisticated generation that ever inhabited this planet. But I’m not convinced of that, especially after watching a series on CuriosityStream.com about Marco Polo’s travels over the old Silk Road trade routes from Venice to China. How many of us could do that without our GPS flashing at us the minutest of details. Or how many of us could circumnavigate the earth using only the stars like Christopher Columbus and the other early navigators? I think we’d have a lot of lost Millennials searching for their iPhones in panic mode don’t you?

The walk under the stars last night reminded me of the conversation I had with my wife on the way home from Florida last weekend. Inevitably, after visiting the Sunshine State, we have a discussion about how we like to visit Florida but wouldn’t want to live there without the distinct seasons that we enjoy here and further north. We love all of the seasons, but if I had to pick a favorite, it might just be spring. And so far, this spring has been absolutely delightful.

The conversation went something like this:

Me: “Did you ever stop to think how we got our seasons”?

Wife: “No”

Me: “I think God, while He was building His creation, decided it would be nice for us to have the variety of four seasons so He reached down and took the earth between His thumb and forefinger and tweeked our axis by 23.4 degrees”.

Wife: “It sure is tough living with an engineer”!

I know, kind of a nerdy thought process right? But somehow, in His infinite wisdom and power God decided we’d be better off with a tilted earth to give us the bio-rhythm of seasons and I’m glad He did.

I hope you’re enjoying this beautiful spring season as much as I am. This “Fall Season” of life, with its less hurried pace, has somehow made me more appreciative of all of God’s goodness to us, especially this spring!

Thanks for reading All About Seniors…..see you next week!

Bill Milby is a Director of Visiting Angels® of Central Georgia, a non-medical, living assistance service for seniors. If you have questions or comments about this column you can reach him at william.mercylink@gmail.com or search for us at https://www.facebook.com/VisitingAngelsofCentralGA.