There was a gate in the back corner of my grandmother’s garden. As a child, I imagined it led to magical places. As an adult, I forgot it existed.
Years later, after a particularly hard year—burnout, heartbreak, change—I returned to her old home, now mine. The garden was overgrown, wild with memory and weeds.
And then I saw it: the gate.
Rusty, ajar, yet still there.
I opened it and stepped through into a forgotten part of the garden. Trees arched over like a canopy. A chill in the air told me it was winter here—quiet, bare, resting. My instinct was to fix it. To clean, prune, make it bloom.
But something stopped me.
This place wasn’t broken. It was just in a different season.
And so was I.
I sat on an old stump and felt the weight of everything I had been carrying. I realised I didn’t need to push. I didn’t need to bloom. Not yet.
Like the trees, I could just be.
And in that stillness, I felt power—not the power of doing, but the power of allowing.
Later, I closed the gate—not to lock it, but to honour it.
Because I would return.
And when I did, it would be a different season.
audio version:
Service Reflection
Key Theme: Know Your Power and Honour the Seasons of Your Life
This uplifting service carries two deeply intertwined teachings:
- You are powerful and responsible. Your choices shape your life. You can choose to carry burdens or release them, to allow others to direct your path or to walk in self-confidence and sovereignty. Power doesn’t mean control—it means awareness and responsibility.
- Life flows in seasons. Just like nature cycles through spring, summer, autumn and winter, your life, too, has sacred rhythms. Honour where you are. Embrace growth in spring, productivity in summer, reflection in autumn, and rest in winter. Each season brings lessons and gifts.
In essence: Own your power and honour your season. Your growth is sacred, your timing divine, and your life a process of unfolding truth.
