Charlie is shedding.

We’ve just endured days over 41degrees Celsius, our once green grass is now yellow, water levels are low. The signs of an Aussie summer are all around but yet, our beloved little spotted gelding knows that winter is coming. And because of that, it’s time to shed the summer coat and begin preparations for the new season…

Charlie’s furry rump reminds me that seasons come and go. We live in a constant state of change. And while it may be tempting to wish that a current season would never end, there are also others that we wish never began in the first place! So perhaps our biggest challenge is how will we choose to live in this current season?

Summer is not really my favourite time of year. I hate seeing green paddocks turn brown. I get tired of having to nurse my pale skin through day after day of blistering heat. Flies, dust and snakes all add up to some rather unpleasant experiences… Last

summer I felt challenged to look for the positives in a season that I don’t always see too many in. So this summer, I’ve looked for things to be thankful for. The cool breeze that wafts over our place on many late afternoons. The relief of finding some nice shade to stand and work in. The slower pace of life during the middle of the day. The chance to catch up on work inside because it’s too hot outside. And as I look at Charlie, I’m reminded to enjoy those things, because they will come to an end.

Our attitude determines our altitude. How “high” we soar in life is influenced by how we see and respond to things around us. It’s hard to enjoy things if we are allowing ourselves to be held back by a negative focus all the time. It really is the quintessential “glass half full” challenge. And so, with a tube of sunblock in one hand and a grooming brush in the other I set out to enjoy, as best as I can, the new day presented before me. Some days I succeed, some days I fail. But for each day I know that this season will end and the next, with all its good bits and not so good bits, will begin…

“Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious—the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse… Do that, and God, who makes everything work together, will work you into his most excellent harmonies.” (Philippians 4:8)