the seasons of life .

http://roseonthegrey.deviantart.com/art/sunshine-158729640

There was a man with four sons. He wanted his sons to learn not to judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest, in turn, to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away. The first went in the winter, the second in the spring, the third in the summer, and the youngest son in the fall. When they had all gone and returned, he called them together to describe what they had seen. The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent and twisted. The second son said it was covered with green buds and full of promise. The third son disagreed; he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled sweet and looked so beautiful, it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen. The last son disagreed with all of them; he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment. The man then explained to his sons that they were all right, because they had each seen only one season in the tree's life. He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season. That the essence of who they are, and the pleasure, joy and love that come from that life, can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up. If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring, the beauty of your summer, and the fulfillment of your fall. Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest. Don't judge life by one difficult season. Persevere through the difficult patches, and better times are sure to come. Aspire to inspire...before you expire. Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly, and leave the rest to God. Happiness keeps you sweet, trials keep you strong. Sorrows keep you human, failures keep you humble. Success keeps you growing, but only God keeps you going.