As we approach the end of our second year in North Carolina, we’re immersed in our second autumn — my favorite season of all.

Before leaving California, I remember video messaging with my friend who had moved to Kentucky. She’d send me videos of the breathtaking colors that surrounded her, and I remember longing to live somewhere I could truly see all 4 seasons. We used to drive up to Oak Glen to catch glimpses of fall, but nothing in California ever compared to the radiant colors we experience here.

The Beauty of Fall

Of all the seasons, spring and fall are my favorites — but fall definitely takes the cake. The colors here are truly magical. Right now, we’re in the peak of fall, and it feels like a surprise waits around every corner.

Driving the back roads to pick up my daughter from school or heading into town, I often catch myself smiling — that big, cheesy grin kind of smile — whenever I see a tree blazing with color. I hope I never stop being amazed by it. What joy it is to smile in the middle of a hard season, reminded that our God pays such close attention to His design that no two trees are alike.

Our community is surrounded by a literal forest, and though it might look uniform at first glance, each tree reveals its own shade — greens, yellows, oranges, and brilliant reds. My daughter often sighs with delight when she spots a particularly vivid one. Sometimes we just sit in silence, taking it all in.

Winter’s Stillness and Spring’s Renewal

Of course, the beauty doesn’t last forever. In just a few weeks, the trees will be bare again. When we first moved here — in January 2024 — it was the dead of winter, and an unusual ice storm followed us on our drive. The landscape was gray and lifeless.

Then spring came, and it felt like opening my eyes for the first time. I went from dull gray to vibrant green, from numbness to awe. I even started researching these trees and fell in love with the dogwoods — delicate, graceful, and full of white blossoms. I haven’t yet used them as a backdrop for photos, but that’s my goal for 2026.

Our pastor recently said our church was in a “winter season.” I wasn’t entirely sure what he meant, but I know winter is cold, dark, and quiet — a time when growth seems paused. Even though winter brings festive holidays, it can still feel heavy for many.

This past year has brought some of the hardest challenges my family has ever faced. But I’ve decided this season will not define or break me. Even as winter approaches, I’m holding on to hope — because spring always follows.

Learning from the Rain

That first spring here was unforgettable. Driving through the winding back roads, surrounded by endless green, I remember thinking — or maybe even saying out loud — I hope I never take this beauty for granted.

The secret behind that beauty, I’ve realized, is the rain. Anyone who knows me knows I’ve never been a fan of it! I used to joke that “sugar melts when it gets wet,” and that’s why I avoided rain. My brother once quipped, “So does salt!” Touché, brother, touché.

Now, I’m learning to appreciate it. The rain that ruins my hair and slows down traffic also brings forth the lushness that makes North Carolina so breathtaking. Without the rain — and even the pollen that comes with it — we wouldn’t have this vibrant life.

So, when winter feels bleak and the days are short, we can grumble about the cold, or we can choose to keep walking in faith — remembering that every season has purpose. Winter will pass. Spring will bloom. Summer will blaze with heat and humidity. And fall will once again arrive in all its glory.

A Time for Everything

This truth — that there’s a reason for every season — anchors me. I want to rejoice in winter and summer just as much as I do in spring and fall, because though the seasons change, God never does. He remains the same yesterday, today, and forever.

That means I don’t need to worry about tomorrow. I can lean on Him for every need and remember, even through winter’s chill, the colors that are yet to come.

New Life in Every Season

Lately, I’ve been surrounded by reminders of new life. Three of my friends are expecting babies — one due next month, one in January, and one in late spring. Just this past weekend, I had the joy of photographing one of them in a state park filled with vibrant fall colors.

A kind park ranger allowed us to finish the session after closing, saying it was a special moment — and he was right. Maternity photography is, without a doubt, my favorite genre. So many women don’t feel beautiful during pregnancy, but to me, it’s one of the most beautiful times in a woman’s life. I love capturing that glow, that quiet strength, that sacred anticipation of new life.

If the miracle of life growing within a human being doesn’t stir awe inside you, check to see if you have a pulse.

No matter what season we’re in, life continues. Babies are born. And yes, there are reminders of loss, too. Death comes, as it always will. I carry a burden for friends and family who don’t yet know the Lord, and I pray they will — so they too can experience eternal life with Him.

The changing seasons remind me there truly is a time for everything. Ecclesiastes expresses it beautifully:

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens…”
— Ecclesiastes 3:1–8 (NIV)

Sometimes we experience more sorrow than joy, more pain than laughter, more loss than gain. But we can choose where to place our focus: on the troubles that surround us, or on the One who walks beside us through them all.

Only then can we find the peace and joy that truly surpass all understanding — in every season of life.