There is a season - turn, turn, turn by Kate Crowley

GOING NATURE’S WAY
By Kate Crowley
Recently I have been thinking of the song “Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There Is a Season)". It was an international hit and one of my favorite songs when the Byrds recorded it in 1965, but it was written by Pete Seeger in the late 1950s and he was the one who added the “Turn!” lyrics to a verse from the Book of Ecclesiastes, It begins
“To everything - turn, turn, turn
There is a season - turn, turn, turn
And a time for every purpose under heaven
A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep
chorus
A time to build up, a time to break down
A time to dance, a time to mourn
A time to cast away stones
A time to gather stones together
Chorus
A time of war, a time of peace
A time of love, a time of hate
A time you may embrace
A time to refrain from embracing
Chorus
A time to gain, a time to lose
A time to rend, a time to sew
A time to love, a time to hate
A time of peace, I swear it's not too late!
So many of the lines speak to me right now.  September is a time of change, the season’s are most definitely turning.  Even as the heat of late August tries to hang on, we know the shorter days will bring cooler nights and days. 
There have been many happenings of late that fall into this category of turning pages of lives.  We lost a dear man recently, Ray Marcotte of Sandstone.  His wife Sylvia and daughter Linda visited us yesterday and brought with them a carving Ray made for us.  He was an excellent wood carver and shared that gift with so many others, including countless interns from the Audubon Center.  He made this carving in 2011 after taking a trip around Lake Superior.  They stopped in Nipigon and saw the park we so fondly remember from our Walk. It commemorates the story of Paddle To The Sea with a life size sculpture of the main character from the story sitting in his canoe.  Mike had carved a rough approximation of it before our walk and Ray saw it at one of our talks.  I guess he felt we deserved a better rendition.  It is a very special memento that will keep his spirit alive for us. 
Yesterday was also my youngest brother’s 50th birthday, but we weren’t able to celebrate it with him, because he died of a brain tumor three years ago.  We are not alone when it comes to loss of loved ones, as I know many of you have suffered the same.
On the other side, the brighter side, we welcomed a new member of our community in early August when Henry Camden Wood was born. He is the son of the Audubon Center’s co-director Bryan and his wife Kat.  Big sister Maya loves to introduce ‘baby Harry’ (she’s 2 and still working on the pronunciation) to anyone who visits.  Henry encapsulates so many dreams for the future, of a better, more peaceful world. 
In our local community we have witnessed the closing of a landmark.  The Willow River Mercantile served people for over 100 years.  Their motto of “If we don’t have it, you don’t need it.” was one we loved to repeat for visitors.  One of the first magazine articles I wrote as a freelance writer was about the Merc.  On Saturday, they held Ed’s Estate Sale – Ed Bohaty was the well known and loved proprietor for many years.  His son Bruce has had to make the hard decision to close shop.  Its time has come and gone something that has happened gradually ever since the freeway took traffic away from town.  I managed to buy a small galvanized bucket that says Bohaty’s.                          . 
This afternoon I am going to a wedding of Amanda Johnson, the daughter of our friend’s Ty and Tammy Johnson.  I remember the little girl with the deep dimples in her cheeks and the bright, happy smile coming to the Center when her mom was our cook.  She is going to be smiling her gorgeous smile this afternoon as she weds the handsome young Ryan.
And finally, on a much more sober note, our country is once again faced with a terrible situation in the Middle East.  War has been too much a part of our lives for too long.  We all feel the terrible yin and yang of wanting to help others who are suffering terribly and not wanting to embroil our country in more strife and loss.  We ask, “When and where will it end?” 

The wheel is turning; sometimes we feel in control and sometimes we don’t.  As good humans we mourn one another’s loss, we celebrate each other’s joy, and the best thing we can do is always love, honor and respect one another.

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