The Benefits Of The Winter Seasons In Our Lives

If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did
not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.
- Charlotte Bronte

Winter can be a struggle, can't it? Although this year has been a little different then many years (warmer temperature, more sun, etc...), winter can still be a bit of a drag. For those who experience some degree of seasonal affective disorder, it can be even more difficult. For more information on that, check out the following posts:
Surviving The Winter Blues

What Is Seasonal Affective Disorder?
Causes of Seasonal Affective Disorder
Symptoms of Seasonal Affective Disorder

Treatments For Seasonal Affective Disorder

Last year I wrote a post entitled Is There Hope In Winter? I'd like to discuss again a point I brought up in that post. While many of us don't love winter, it provides an interesting reminder and lesson for our lives. While winter is a long, dark, tiresome, or sad period of our lives, we go through it confident that spring will come once again. With it, spring will bring sunshine, new life, flowers, birds chirping, and a heightened mood. The seasons mirror an important lesson for our lives. The winter allows us to learn how to survive unpleasant situations while having hope that spring will come, and with it will come joy once again. When we hit times of adversity, like winter, we feel distress, notice our mood decreases, and feel like the light in our lives decreases. Adversity doesn't last forever, just like winter. Following times of adversity and grief comes the signs of spring, slowly and surely creeping into our lives again. 

There is hope. Whether it's the weather, a tough situation, adversity, pain, or grief- spring will come. Joy will return. 

Now it's your turn!

How do you allow the hope of spring to get you through winter or times of adversity in life? What's your favorite season?

Mistaken Identity {Book Review}

On April 26th, a car accident happened on a highway in Indiana. 4 students and one staff member of a University were killed, while 3 staff members and one student survived. 5 weeks later, a case of mistaken identities was discovered between the student who survived, and one of the students who died.

After 5 weeks, doctors realized that it was Whitney, and not Laura, who was at the hospital, and Whitney's parents had buried "Whitney", who was actually Laura. This story follows the journey of two families, from the night of April 26, 2006, through the weeks and months following. You will rejoice and mourn with the University, and especially the two families of Whitney and Laura, as you read the book. It's a book of inspiration and hope amidst grief, confusion, and suffering. These two families have been on the Today Show and The Oprah show, and I find their story inspirational. I highly encourage you to read the book and follow along on the journey of hope these 2 families share. When I first read the book in 2008, I was awestruck by the reactions of the families, and how the campus chose to deal with the events of the accident. Check it out- you certainly won't regret it!

If you're interested in some background on the story, here are a few links:

Five from Taylor University killed when semi strikes van

Crash victims' identities mixed up

Whitney Cerak's Blog (this is from immediately following the accident to the time Whitney returned to school a few months later)

Do you remember hearing the story of the mistaken identity? How do you deal with grief?