Fall Days and Field Trips

 

Sheila Campbell

 

Fall days and field trips – the two just go together.  As I think about field trips, I am reminded that my family will not make the annual trip to the apple orchard with our support group this year.  My children have all graduated, and work schedules now replace field trips; but field trips probably make some of our fondest memories.  Our annual trek to the apple orchard was a favorite of both students and moms alike.  Mr. Gallagher could make everything about apples, bees, cold storage, and the making of apple cider fun and interesting, so that even those students who had attended multiple times and could practically give the tour themselves still enjoyed it.  Of course, for many families the conclusion of the tour meant the beginning of apple picking as many of us moms took the opportunity to pick our own apples to purchase, and my kids thought nothing could compare to the taste of sweet apple cider. Those days are now just fond memories, but as time passes and our family enters into this season of transition from teens to young adults, these pleasant fall days remind me of the joys of transition.

 

As I write, the twilight gathers around me; I am acutely aware of the changing seasons.  Oh, perhaps the days are still warm, but the sun has once again begun its southward movement across the sky, and the days are becoming noticeably shorter.  Fall is a season of transition, and it often brings some of the most pleasant days of the year to West Texas, with pleasantly warm days, cooler evenings, and bright colors.  As I think about the beauty of fall, it occurs to me that it is because it is a season of transition that it is so beautiful. 

 

It seems that we are often impatient with transition phases, whether it is a transition of leadership within a group and the learning season that occurs when new leaders “try the reins” or the transitions our children make from one stage of childhood to another.  Perhaps the transition from one style of education to another as families adjust to home schooling for the first time, is trying on our impatient hearts.  Many times we either long for the “good old days” or want to hurry the new season along, but over the years there are many important things I’ve learned about transition.  First, things are always changing. Some of these changes are subtle and others blatantly apparent. Secondly, despite an ever-changing world, God’s truths remain constant and His grace is always sufficient. Particularly in leadership transitions, another thing to always keep in mind is, just as we are given grace, we should always be ready to quickly extend it.  And finally, a truth that remains a seeming endless battle in my impatient heart, true grace is never given without patience.

 

May God bless each of your families as you transition into a new school year.

 

Sheila Campbell

THSC Leader Liaison

 

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