Seasons

Have you ever noticed how the world loves to change its clothes? Sometimes it wears a crunchy, colorful coat of red and gold leaves. Other times, it pulls on a soft, white blanket of fluffy snow, making everything quiet and still. Then, just when you think it might sleep forever, it wakes up and puts on a dress dotted with bright flowers, smelling fresh and new like a rainy morning. And sometimes, it wears nothing but warm, bright sunshine, inviting you to play outside all day long. I am the one who brings all these wonderful surprises to your world. I visit four times a year, each time with a different feeling and a different look. I am the Seasons.

My magic comes from a very special dance between the Earth and the Sun. Imagine the Earth is a giant, spinning ball, and it’s always dancing in a big circle around the very bright, warm Sun. But here’s my secret: the Earth doesn’t spin perfectly straight up and down. It’s a little bit tilted, like a spinning top that’s leaning just a tiny bit to one side. Because of this tilt, as the Earth travels on its year-long dance, different parts of it get to lean in closer to the Sun’s warm light. When your home is tilted toward the Sun, you get lots of direct sunlight, and I bring you long, warm summer days. The longest day of all happens around June 21st. Then, as the Earth keeps dancing, your home tilts away from the Sun. The sunshine has to stretch to reach you, so I bring you the shorter, cooler days of winter. The shortest day of the year is around December 21st. Long ago, people watched the sky very carefully. They learned my rhythm and knew that I would tell them the best time to plant their seeds and when to gather their food for the cold months.

My gift to you is the beauty of change. I help you decide whether to wear a puffy coat and mittens or shorts and sandals. I fill your table with different yummy foods, like sweet strawberries in the summer and round, orange pumpkins in the fall. I give the whole world a steady beat, like a beautiful song. I tell the flowers when it’s time to bloom and the squirrels when it’s time to gather nuts. I give animals a time to rest and the land a time to grow strong. I am a happy reminder that change is a wonderful thing. And you can always count on me, because after every chilly winter, a warm and hopeful spring is always on its way to say hello.