By Barbara Mascareno-Shaw 
It’s not every day I’m able to sit and watch television, let alone listen to Christian music on the radio. But this time, it was different.
I was able to get a chance to hear some great podcasts about motherhood. It amazes me how simple words on audio can be relaxing.
I curled up to listen to the podcasts and just let the words speak to me. I heard many talks from great Christian inspirational teachers like Joyce Meyer, Beth Moore, Lauren Chandler and Priscilla Shirer.
But through it all, the message of the changing of seasons kept resonating with me. I suppose seasons do change as motherhood does.
I know there are seasons of quietness like in fall and winter. But then there are periods of revival and renewal as in spring and summer.
As if it was a sign, I came across the book of Ecclesiastes and read the essential verse about how there is a season for everything. “The sun rises, and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises.” – Ecclesiastes 1:5 NIV.
Seasons do come in all shapes and sizes. Some seasons are more challenging than others.
I remember how difficult it was as a new mom, wondering if I was doing everything right. There is no mom manual to follow step-by-step.
Only later to realize, there is no perfect mom. For some moms, the seasons of change are longer or shorter.
But however the seasons change, I keep my soul with those words from Ecclesiastes – there are paths of greatness and glory from God. On the other hand, there are seasons where I wanted to scream my head off, overwhelmed with work, housework, and life.
As a mom, I often challenged myself, whether I’m able to cope in all these seasons of change. But my strength comes from the Lord.
I believe it is. The seasons of challenge in motherhood are merely stepping stones of patience, dedication, and love for my family.
What I came to was the realization motherhood is a season in itself. It is a season of joy and sorrow.
There were the seasons when my daughter reached milestones as an infant and toddler. There is nothing more gratifying than those times when I saw my daughter excel in tough situations or work through difficult areas with guidance.
When she first started school, now, that is a season of incredible change. The mom in me realizes school time is another type of season of adventure.
With the transition of seasons also comes the future of the unknown. At each stage of seasons, I know what to expect, whether it is cold in winter or hot in summer.
But when I see my daughter grow up, I know there is still more seasons to explore as she embarks on her adventure of seasons. I believe seasons are pieces of wisdom God wants to give every mom, like a collection of seashells by the beach to remember that summer family vacation.
A collection of memories of each season is perhaps the crucial part of being a mom. I feel those moments of seasons past as reminders of what it had been and what it could be.
I hold on to those pieces of memories as precious stones. Each memory stone is a change of season in motherhood, valuable enough to hold onto for life.
I suppose the verse in Ecclesiastes is an eye opener. It makes me think seasons are a blessed time to look at motherhood in all the different stages.
My season of motherhood is not determined yet, but I welcome the challenges of being a mom every day.
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