IF there is one thing that is clear about our relationships it is that they live by seasons as much if not more than reasons. So many seasonal stories this past week from the death of Susan’s lifelong friend to the devastating wildfires here in New Mexico, to the Supreme Court’s draft decision to take away a right it had honored as constitutional for nearly 50 years.

It’s not the patterns of the seasons, good friends do die, wildfires happen, and the Supreme Court makes controversial decisions as a matter of course, it’s the relationships that seasons highlight that are more in focus than ever. It’s expected, it’s hopeful, we will get through this, that’s the way the world works and many other reasons we give to how we relate to the ebb and flow of seasonal life are coming into question.

The gift of the seasons now is to look deeply at who we are and how that expresses itself in our relationships with self, others, and the environment. A close associate and member, Steve Preskill, calls us to see the seasons as a poignant and powerful invitation to craft our interdependence more intentionally or pay the consequences. Consider how the Supreme Court’s draft decision invites us to see that the seasonal cycle of creating, growing, and nurturing life generationally can only be understood relationally and that public policy can support and honor this essential human relational activity.

Otherwise, we continue to descend to see not the interdependent nature of our daily lives but divide ourselves with transactional platitudes and laws. I pray we see this time as a season to craft a relationships-first approach to our reproductive lives. This quote shared by another member Jan Clifford from years ago reflects a relational approach.

” That is the reason for the seasons as we are experiencing them today. To move our interactions from have to, should, must to a more naturally human crafting of relational, interdependent living.”

I want to invite all members to enter this discussion of how we relate more wholly in this volatile season. Send your thoughts and examples of relationships first or schedule a conversation with me about your favorite seasonal challenge. For me, that is the reason for the season.