By G. E.
Shuman
Way back in 1962 a newly formed pop
band, called The Byrds, put the words of the third chapter of the book of Ecclesiastes
to music. They called the tune, Turn, Turn, Turn, and even if you were not
around at that time, I’m pretty sure the melody of that song has just sprung
into your head. If it didn’t, I think
you should find it, out in the ‘cloud’ somewhere, and listen to it. I always
liked that song, for its soft notes, but more for those borrowed words. Lately, as I get older, and very recently, as
I see things changing around me, those words, as follows, have taken on even
greater meaning for me.
“For every thing there is a season,
and a time for every purpose under heaven”, the song and the passage goes. “A
time to be born, and a time to die, a time to plant, a time to reap that which
is planted.” “A time to embrace, and a
time to refrain from embracing”, it continues further on.
I very recently lost my younger
brother. Last month he had his final battle with cancer, and now he is
gone. That is an extremely sad thing for
me; I do miss him very much. I wish I had more time with him now, and regret
times that I could have spent with him, but didn’t. I have thought a lot about
the fact that I hope to live for many more years, and that his life is already
over. The very idea that he is gone is an almost surreal one to me. It just
doesn’t seem possible. Turn, Turn, Turn.
On a much better note, of the song,
and of my experience, by the time this edition of The Sturbridge Times is in
your hands, my family will have been
amazingly blessed by the birth of our newest granddaughter; she will be
number twelve, in our continuing line of beautiful grandchildren. (Our children were not perfect, but their
kids are. Trust me, I’m a granddad.) “A time to weep, and a time to laugh.”
I’m writing this column as I sit on
the front porch of our old Vermont home. From here I can see my wife’s potted
hanging flowers, and her big potted strawberry plant. Yes, it’s a potted
strawberry plant. (We live in the ‘city’.) At the far end of our porch, beside
the house, are my feeble attempts at growing tomatoes, beans and squashes. Don’t laugh. They may be feeble, but they’re
mine, and they really are growing. Once
it was a time to plant those seeds. Soon it will be time to reap what we have
sewn in our country, in gardens, in farm fields, and in our lives. I hope we
have sown good seeds in all. Turn, Turn, Turn.
“A time to embrace, and a time to
refrain from embracing.” I’m not sure what the time to refrain from embracing
would be. Maybe it means that there is a
time for expressing love, and a time for being more serious and working for
those we love. Scholars probably
understand those words better than I. I only
understand that we are to love one another.
Life, at best, is very short. That
fact has been on my mind a lot lately. As I think of the past 62 years of my experience
on this big beautiful world, I cannot believe how swiftly those years have
passed. I really want to make my life last as long as I can. Don’t we all? I know that, even in my brother’s case, he
fought his last bout with cancer for the purpose of having a bit more time with
his kids, and with his own brand new granddaughter. Turn, Turn, Turn.
I certainly wish you and yours a
long and sunny summer, and a long and happy life. Fall can be beautiful, but
both as a season of the year, and a season of life, it comes far too quickly.
Still, there really is “a time for every purpose under heaven.” if we will just
use our time wisely. “A time to embrace” might be the time our world needs most
right now.
