Silence fills the air in the repose of Winter. Unfurling life springs forth in neon green, lit from within by the glow of Spring. Fruit sweetens with the warmth that defines the languid days of Summer. One final burst of energy sets the vineyards ablaze with the colors of Fall. And then the time to rest returns; the cycle begins again. It is a continuum and the natural world can rest peacefully, knowing the time will come to awaken again. 

The book of Ecclesiastes (1:3–5) says, “Generations come and generations go, but the earth lasts forever. The sun rises and the sun sets, and then it rushes back to the place where it will rise again.” For some this may mean life goes on regardless of what people do. But I see it as an observation of an interdependent coexistence of humans and nature to form a continuum.

A vintner who considers this cycle of life, nurtures the vines, gathers the grapes, ferments the juice and composts the skins and seeds so it can be returned to the vineyard where it can nourish the earth and give energy back to the grapes’ source. The circle is complete. All that has been taken is the juice. What if this is a metaphor for our own lives? If we give back to the earth as much nourishment as we take, we participate in the continuum. We can rest with nature, having confidence that tomorrow will come.