Life has a way of moving us through seasons. Some are filled with joy and milestones, others with grief and letting go, and many with a mixture of both. I remember back in December 2014, as we prepared to enter 2015, my mother shared a message with us about transitions. That year proved to be exactly that—a year of milestones and memories, but also one of preparation. It was the year that ultimately prepared us for her departure from this life into eternal rest.

Now, almost a decade later, I sense we are back in a similar season. We are walking alongside my aunt Eloise, my mother’s baby sister, as she fights the last stages of cancer. It is hard to watch the body weaken, yet there is peace in knowing that God’s ultimate healing is not always physical but eternal. Family and friends have surrounded her, showering her with love, reminding her—and us—of just how much she has poured into the lives of others. Even in the difficulty, there is beauty. Even in the sorrow, there is joy.

At the same time, transitions are happening in the everyday. My son prepares to enter his third year of college, and I think about how my mother made sure we were always prepared for these milestones. In her memoir How I Got Over, she paused her story in 1997—the year Ashley, her first grandchild, was born. Fast forward to 2015, when she witnessed Ashley graduate from high school, a milestone that marked both fulfillment and faithfulness. She poured herself into making sure Ashley had everything she needed to enter college that fall, especially journals to record her academic journey. These moments stand as living testimony that even in seasons of change, God provides continuity and care. These seasons mark growth, change, and the steady unfolding of God’s plan in each of our lives.

The older I get, the more I understand why God designed creation with seasons. Spring, summer, fall, and winter teach us resilience. They remind us that change is not the end—it is a continuation. Each season carries beauty, and each one teaches us how to let go, how to embrace, and how to prepare.

So today, I pause to honor the process of transition. I hold the memories close. I acknowledge the pain. But I also recognize the strength that comes from knowing that seasons shift, and that with every ending comes a new beginning. God, in His wisdom, allows us to move forward while carrying with us the treasures of the past.

In love and charity,

Giselle (aka) Blooming-lillie