Seasons of Life: A Season of Healing

Not every season is on the calendar.

When I first started Savoring the Seasons, I was drawn to the beauty of the changing seasons—the first blooms of spring, long summer evenings, crisp fall days, and the quiet that comes with winter.

But over time, I've realized that the seasons that shape us most aren't always the ones we see outside our windows.

There are seasons of change and growth. Seasons of joy and new beginnings. And there are seasons of healing.

This is the first in a series of Journal entries about those Seasons of Life—the ones that don't arrive neatly on the calendar but become part of our stories nonetheless.

And for me, it feels right to begin with healing.

Giving Myself Permission to Heal

The past six years have held some incredibly difficult seasons.

There was the separation and uncertainty of COVID. I lost my mom to breast cancer. I was diagnosed with Lupus. And then came my own breast cancer diagnosis, followed by multiple surgeries and procedures.

For a long time, there was always something that needed to be handled. Another appointment. Another procedure. Another decision to make. Another change to adjust to.

Eventually, I realized that getting through something and healing from it aren't necessarily the same thing.

So I made a decision that sounds simple but wasn't always easy: I gave myself permission to heal.

Not just physically, but mentally and emotionally, too.

I gave myself permission to rest when I needed to rest. To say no sometimes. To slow down. To feel whatever I was feeling instead of believing I needed to move past it quickly.

And perhaps most importantly, I stopped putting a timeline on when I should feel like myself again.

Healing Has Its Own Season

The more time I spend noticing nature, the more I see the similarities between its seasons and our own.

A garden doesn't bloom all year long.

There are months when it is overflowing with color and life, and months when everything appears quiet. But underneath the soil, things are still happening. Roots are strengthening. The earth is resting. Something is preparing to grow again.

Healing can feel that way, too.

There are days when progress feels obvious and days when it feels as though nothing is changing. Sometimes we are ready to stretch toward the sunlight again. Other times, we need to stay quiet for a while longer.

Neither is wasted time.

Nature doesn't apologize for winter or rush it along. It simply allows the season to be what it is.

I'm learning to offer myself that same grace.

Your Season May Look Different

Healing isn't one-size-fits-all.

For some, entering a season of healing may bring relief. There can be comfort in finally having the space to rest, reflect, and begin putting pieces back together.

For others, healing can feel uncomfortable or even frightening. Slowing down can leave room for feelings we've been too busy to face. We may miss who we were before something changed. We may worry about what life will look like on the other side.

And sometimes, we may feel all of those things at once.

There is no perfect way to move through a season of healing.

It may look like rest. Therapy. Long walks. Time with people you love. Quiet mornings. Laughter. Creating something. Spending time outside. Saying no. Trying something new. Or simply allowing yourself to have a hard day without feeling the need to make it better.

Healing doesn't have to look beautiful to hold beauty.

Savoring the Season You're In

I don't believe every difficult experience needs a silver lining. Some seasons are simply hard.

But I do believe there can be moments of beauty and comfort within them if we allow ourselves to notice.

A warm cup of coffee on a quiet morning. Flowers blooming along a familiar walking path. A conversation with someone who understands. The first time you realize you're laughing without thinking about everything you've been through.

Small moments don't erase the difficult ones.

They simply remind us that joy and sorrow, gratitude and grief, healing and hope can exist alongside one another.

Maybe that is one of the lessons this season has given me.

Healing isn't about rushing back to who we were before. Sometimes it's about gently making room for who we are becoming.

So if you find yourself in a season of healing right now, I hope you'll give yourself permission to experience it in your own way and in your own time.

Rest when you need to. Notice the small signs of growth. Savor the moments that feel good.

And trust that even in the quiet seasons, something within you may still be growing.

What does healing look like in this season of your life?

Happy savoring,

Angeline