By Sr. Veronica Fatoyinbo, SNDdeN

There is something profoundly beautiful about the changing seasons, especially the way a tree surrenders its leaves in autumn, stands bare in winter, and bursts into new life in spring. Each stage speaks to the rhythm of life, the process of letting-go, allowing things to be as they are, and ultimately trusting in the renewal that only God can bring…

I have come to see forgiveness through this imagery – a sacred cycle of release, surrender, and transformation. When someone wounds me, my first instinct is often to hold on tightly, just as a tree resists shedding its leaves when the winds begin to stir, The hurt clings to my heart like autumn leaves reluctant to fall, as if by grasping them, I can make sense of the pain. But true healing begins only when I choose to let go.

Letting-go, the call to surrender, it’s not forgetting nor is it pretending that the wound never happened. It is the conscious decision to release the weight of bitterness and resentment, trusting that God is the true healer. Like a tree in the autumn, I must surrender what no longer serves me, allowing grace to sweep away burdens of anger and regret… Christ is inviting us to lay down the burdens of sin; pride and unforgiveness at the foot of the cross. Christ himself, in his passion, exemplifies this surrender – He lets go of everything even His life so that we may be saved.

The bareness of winter may follow a season where I feel vulnerable, stripped of my defenses, unsure of what come next. Yet, even in this stillness, God is at work…

Letting be is the quiet acceptance that some things cannot be changed by my own effort. Just as a tree does not force itself to regrow leaves in the middle of winter, I cannot not force the process of healing or demand immediate justice. There is wisdom in waiting, in embracing the silence, and trusting that God timing is perfect.

Jesus in Gethsemane embodies this surrender – “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but your be done” (Luke 22:42). Sometimes, God’s answer is not an immediate relief, but the grace to endure, to wait, and to trust in the unfolding mystery of His plan. Some wounds take time, some relationships may never to restored as they once were, and some situations must be entrusted entirely into God’s hands.

Letting-God; the grace of New life, and then the miracle of spring arrives. Just when all seems still and lifeless tiny buds begin to appear. This is the work of grace – restoring, renewing, and making all things new. Letting-God means entrusting my pain, my past and my future into His hands. It is believing that He can bring forth something beautiful even from the most broken places. His love, like the sap rising through the tree’s veins nourishing me back to life, allowing me to bloom in ways I never imagined…