by David E Bay, High Councilor

I remember a time as I was about seven years old visiting my grandparents, Vera and Martel Anderson, Gram and Grandad, in southern Utah on their cattle ranch in Junction. Grandad took me with him to go up the canyon to check on his property which he called the Ponderosa Ranch, but everyone else called the Cougar Ranch. Grandad covered his bald head with a Stetson hat, while my tow head crewcut was covered with a straw cowboy hat. Grandad was on his big gray horse, Cyclone, and I followed on his grandchild-proof Shetland pony, Buddy. I followed him with full trust that he would get us where we were going and that he would take care of me.

I look at that experience with different perspective now. Grandad, who I thought was so wise and ancient, was in the prime of his ranching years and was only 56 years old then. I still love and respect him, but I now see that he was a man just trying to do his best in his circumstances.

Now I go to that same property, but I don’t own horses. As I walk around the Cougar Ranch, my grandchildren follow me, sometimes holding my hand, sometimes running ahead of me, or following behind as they stop to examine wonderful new finds along the way. I suspect that my grandchildren look to me as I looked up to my Grandad.

We just passed through the summer solstice. That’s the day when there’s more daylight here in the northern hemisphere than any other day of the year, it also marks the astronomical beginning of the season of summer. The cycles of the years repeat and there is comfort in that pattern of times and seasons.

As I ponder, I recognize that there are many kinds of seasons in our lives. There are the seasons of the year: Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter. There are seasons in our lives: infant, child, teen, young adult, newlywed, parent, grandparent. There are economic seasons: struggle, prosperity, inflation, loss. There are climatic seasons: wet, dry, cold, hot. There are also seasons for families, businesses, communities and even nations. There are also seasons for the Church and God’s plan for the earth.

Because each one of us have different connections as well as each of us being on our own calendar, the seasons that we interact with are very different from each other. That’s one of the reasons why it is so important to rely on guidance from the Holy Ghost to know what the important tasks and preparations that we individually need to take care of. For me, the most important preparation I do might be storing water in my house. But for my neighbor it could be developing skills in first aid.

It would be great if everyone could be totally prepared in every single direction. However, it is a lot more realistic that some people will have resources, skills, abilities, talents and interests that others don’t have. So that’s when it helps to work together towards the goal of helping everyone succeed and thrive in spite of our challenges.

When problems come that impact us, it may impact just one person or just one family. In other times the issues may impact a neighborhood or a whole city or section of the state.

A family facing a crisis can be strengthened as relatives, friends and neighbors minister to them and help provide resources, including listening ears and warm hugs. Neighborhoods can work through disasters when everyone pulls together.

Working out in our yard and helping to rearrange our garden plots to fit the vision of my sweetheart, Coleen, has helped me understand that even if we cannot see all of the details all at once, once we begin working with the details, we can see the other parts become clearer over time. It’s much easier to see what needs to be done in a garden digging with a shovel in hand than sitting in a chair looking at the garden from a distance.

And still the seasons change; Soloman says:

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

This Old Testament passage was popularized by musician Pete Seeger, who put it to music in the 1950s. He also added the repeated refrain, “turn, turn, turn” and after “a time of peace” the words “I swear it’s not too late” to the scripture.

As we go through the seasons of each year and more importantly the seasons of our lives everything changes “turn, turn, turn.” Those who are very young and incapable become strong and capable and have families of their own, “turn, turn, turn.” Those who are young and capable then grow old and their bodies fail them, “turn, turn, turn.”

I remember growing up as a child in my parents’ house, “turn, turn, turn.” I remember my children growing up in my house, “turn, turn, turn.” I remember visiting Gram and Grandad. I am now older than they were then, and I can see that as much as I idealized them, they and my parents were just ordinary people like I am trying to do their very best. I hope you and I can be blessed in our efforts to prepare for the season of our Savior’s return.