A Season To Slow Life Down by Alan Anderson

 

“For everything there is a season,

and a time for every matter under heaven:” 

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (ESV)

Words from my doctor

A couple of years ago, while at a doctor’s appointment, my doctor made an interesting comment. He said, “Alan, you are getting older. Your body is like an old steam train engine that is wearing out.” I couldn’t argue with him, and it was something I needed to hear.

In a recent appointment with the same doctor, and after listening to my health concerns, he cautioned me to “slow things down.” I knew I had to take time to process what he meant. He suggested there are responsibilities in life I must now allow other people to take care of. This is a new season for me.

I know that “to everything there is a season,” but there are times I wish this was not so. I enjoyed and poured a lot of energy into helping people over the decades, but that season has passed. Taking on projects around the house was something I also enjoyed, but that’s no longer possible as it once was. This too is a new season for me.

Words from my priest

In November 2025, my wife, Terry, and I began attending an Orthodox Christian church in another town than the one we had been part of for eight years. Driving to our new church is a less stressful drive than the one before. Health issues were the motivation for this change.

In a conversation Terry and I had with our new priest prior to our transition to our new church, we knew we were making a wise move. He confirmed with us we were in a new season of our lives, and our new church was part of this season. He affirmed our move with his words, “You are more than welcome to be part of Holy Apostles Orthodox Church. We will love having you with us.”

This new season

In this new season of life, I now concentrate on the energy it takes to navigate my life at a slower pace. These days employment is not a concern. My children are all grown up and have their own families. Terry and I have a healthy marriage. Charlie, our beloved poodle, although growing older, is a beautiful companion for us. We enjoy good friends and don’t allow negative people to interfere in our lives. We also enjoy and love our church family.

I reserve a lot of my energy these days for my writing. My health challenges have indeed slowed me down, but I still have lots of energy for what I want to write. I also pray to become more skilled as I write in this new season that has embraced my soul.

This present season has drawn me into a more contemplative style of expressing the words I write. The more activist views of my younger years have given way to how I might help people be content with their lives. I leave the results of this to God. I realize I may never have an influence in the world, but I pray at least in my circle of people, including my readers, they will know they matter.

To everything there is a season, and God is aware of each one of them, for He is with us in every matter under heaven. As I look towards the coming winter season of my life, I also seek the glorious season of the Son, the season that has no end.

 

 

In Deroche, British Columbia, Alan shares his home with his wife, Terry, and their poodle, Charlie. Alan and Terry are grandparents of six grandchildren plus five grandbabies in heaven. Alan enjoys walking on the dike near his home, with trees all around and where he finds inspiration to write. In summer, however, he loves to hide in the shade from the warm summer sun. Alan is more of a friend of fall. He has occasionally written articles for FellowScript Magazine and is a regular contributor to the InScribe Christian Writers’ Fellowship blog. Alan’s website and blog are https://scarredjoy.ca. He also writes on Substack.