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May 25, 2010
Becky Tweedy, Assistant to the President
After this past winter, the last few weeks have been a welcome relief. Although some days it’s as if spring cannot make up her mind, everyone just seems glad it’s not snowing. I happen to love snow – in the wintertime.
I love the seasons. I love it when they run their full course, and last as long as they are “supposed to.” Summer begins the twenty-something of June and lasts thru mid-September. Fall runs clear into mid-December, contrary to what the department stores say. Enjoying each season fully helps us anticipate and appreciate the next one.
In addition to defining what we wear, seasons should define what we eat. What-grows-when depends on where you live. Mother Nature patiently follows the sun as the earth’s axis shifts during the calendar year. As a dining services provider, Meriwether Godsey thinks all of this is pretty important. In our accounts we have charts that show what foods are in season each month of the year. We follow this so we can serve local foods as much as possible. This makes us a better neighbor: supporting local farmers and reducing our carbon footprint. And, fresh is definitely best as we plan meals. Our communities are diverse: colleges, independent schools, senior living, cultural arts. But we have found that all appreciate fresh foods and scratch cooking. It is true that changes in season trigger changes in our appetites, too, so we adjust our menus to make the most of this: a wintery plate for brrr weather; and vibrant, juicy wow for warmer months.
Seasons in life, are sometimes harder to define. We think we know exactly where we are, and then all of a sudden the clock has jumped forward on us. The book is getting shorter, the wind is at our back. Sometimes it’s easier to remember the fullness of the past than to anticipate times to come. Are we spending too much time looking both forward and backward and not enough time simply enjoying the season called “now”? A nice reminder comes to us from St. Paul, “. . .for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.” (Philippians 4:11)
Winter, spring, summer, fall – each brings a waxing and waning, promise and fading. Let’s help each other to be thankful and content…even on that blistering August day, just around the corner. But who’s thinking about August…
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