Part of the Journeys Into the Mirror collection of reflections by Janneke Koole—born from a lifetime of spiritual practice, personal healing, and a deep connection to nature. Inspired by her mother’s way of seeing beauty in the everyday, Janneke invites us to look at the outer seasons as mirrors for our inner lives. Each piece offers a story, image, or guided practice to help you reconnect with your senses, your spirit, and your own truth as a woman.
Reflections: The Four Seasons
Life moves us through four seasons: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Life itself and all living things on this planet move through these four seasons. Ecclesiastes 3 verses 1–8 read in this way:
“For everything its season, and for every activity under heaven its time:
A time to be born and a time to die
A time to plant and a time to uproot
A time to kill and a time to heal
A time to pull down and a time to build up
A time to weep and a time to laugh
A time for mourning and a time for dancing
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather them
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 mend
A time for silence and a time for speech
A time to love and a time to hate
A time for war and a time for peace.”
There Is a Season
Mimi turned 52 years old last month, and she had been very specific about not wanting any celebration. She had no joy and ever since her youngest son left home, she could find little purpose in her everyday life. So why celebrate?
According to her, she had enjoyed being a mother. “The more, the merrier” was her motto as she happily cooked, cleaned, and made lunches each day after she came home from her job as a retail clerk. Her husband’s work often took him out of town for days on end—and that was okay for her. She preferred the company of the younger crowd that her kids brought home. And then, she loved the quiet of reading, knitting, and watching a bit of TV.
But the kids had all grown up and left the house. Not only that, they moved out of state, to the other side of the country and one of them was even living in England. They rarely filled her home with laughter and they rarely even called to say hello.
For a while, Mimi kept the old routines going. She cooked and cleaned and made her own lunch. But slowly, these simple daily tasks lost their meaning. She watched more TV than before and stopped reading anything other than the daily paper. Although she went to bed earlier, she got up more tired.
More and more frequently she’d ask herself, “What’s the point to this? Why bother?”
One day, her older sister came to visit. Sisters being who they are, she said, “What’s the matter with you? You look like an old lady and you’re younger than me!”
When Mimi shared a bit of how she was feeling lost, alone, and without meaning and purpose in her life, her sister simply said, “Well, you’ve got to get a life!”
“That’s fine for you to say,” Mimi muttered under her breath. But the simple statement stuck with her. “Get a life” began to ring in her mind. And she began her search for what this life might be like.
Mimi went for counseling. She began to go for walks in the preserve and listened to the sounds of nature. Instead of watching TV, she began to journal. One month after her sister’s visit, a little glowing ember of this new life began to flicker inside her.
She sent her sister a thank-you card that said: “There is life after the kids leave home, and I’m going to find me some.”
Excerpted from “Journey’s into the Mirror” written by Janneke Koole
DTMMS #DeerTribe #Heal #Change #Grow #SharingKnowledgeThatWorks
