12.29.2025 | Monday in Christmastide

The Necessary Work of Change
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?”
-Isaiah 43:19
 
It is absolutely frigid out in the Garden on this frosty late-December morning. The Doodle girl and I did not linger long in the cold darkness. The warmth of the fireplace and a waiting cup of coffee were far too enticing for this old gardener.
 
Yesterday was a wild weather ride here in the Midwest. Morning sunshine carried us up to a balmy 76 degrees, but by afternoon the rain swept through, and the wind began to howl. Temperatures plummeted until they landed in the teens. A sixty-degree drop in about twelve hours. If you don’t like the weather in Saint Louis, stick around; it will change.
 
So often I fear change. I resist the updates and want to stick with the way I have always done things. It seems every few days some computer program I have used forever announces a major upgrade with “new and improved” features. These updates are usually followed by this old gardener spending an inordinate amount of time searching for a function that was always in one place and has now been moved “for my convenience.”
 
Change is hard for this old man. Yet I recognize that change is constant and essential for growth. It does not mean I have to like it. Sometimes I shake my fist and mutter not-so-kind things under my breath. But in the end, I know change is inevitable and necessary.
 
As we walked about this morning in the cold, we checked in on the leaf mould pile slowly disintegrating in the back compost bin. In November it was overflowing. Now it is down to about three-quarters full. The leaves are changing, evolving, breaking down, and eventually becoming nourishment for the blueberries and hellebores. Change is inevitable and necessary.
 
Change can be difficult. But it can also open the door to good. To growth. To renewal. To a deeper understanding of the Creator. Change strengthens our resilience. And as we move closer to another new year, another new beginning just around the corner, I am reminded once again that change is necessary work and good for the soul.
 
May you welcome the small shifts and the great ones,
trusting that the One who tends the seasons is tending you as well.
May every change, wanted or not, become nourishment for your becoming,
and may you find warmth, renewal, and quiet courage in the days ahead.