Daffodils signify spring
Norris Hall
Our lives are punctuated by the changing seasons, so it seems. The hazy days of summer, the mellowing in autumn, hibernation in winter and rebirth in spring. And with those changes come the aches and pains that we must endure; the milestones in our lives that will affect us. It is a part of our lives and journeys through the months and years that lay ahead.
Many, many years ago when I worked in retail, I joined the local Young Farmers’ club, where I learnt how to milk cows in every imaginable cowshed, how to sew, and keep books as a club treasurer. I also learnt of the seasons in farming life, be it calving, artificial insemination, feed budgets, hay and silage making, moving from one rural job to another, the work of farm contractors and their dependence on their clients, and so on. And today, I can converse with farmers asking the right questions as well as showing a genuine interest in their efforts, even going on farm walks – in the past –
listening to farmer’s plans for the ensuing year and hopes for the future.
Our dairy farmers in this productive district and beyond are now in the final stages of calving, about to tackle the required maintenance, planning for what lay ahead. They work regardless of the weather to earn a living and to pay their dues.
Agricultural activity and the challenges that it bring are not new as history tells us. It is an important part of a developing civilisation and future. Te Awamutu and environs was built on and depends on what is – in the main – produced on the land in addition to the needs of the surrounding farming community.
In biblical times, Jesus was well aware of rural life as well as he grew up in a small Galilean village called Nazareth. The economy of that settlement depended on the sowing of crops, the subsequent harvesting, the husbandry of animals and the tending of olive groves and vineyards. Each activity was governed by each season, and each season was punctuated by the various religious festivals, observances and customs which were laid down in the Law of Moses. And each activity was liable to the various taxes, levies and fees imposed by a far-away authority as it is today.
Jesus used that knowledge gained in his formative years with great effect in his telling of many parables. He used words and imagery that his listeners and disciples could grasp, understand, reflect upon and learn from. His stories were timeless as they are today, multi-layered in meaning and significance.
As we in our respective life journeys experience the coming and going of the different seasons, we never need to feel alone.
As Jesus told his disciples when he ascended into heaven, “Lo, I am with you to the end of time.” And God’s unconditional love for us is with us as well, season by season, month by month, week by week, day by day.
