A man had four sons.

He wanted to teach them something important. Something about patience and judgment. Something they could not learn from a book.

So he sent each son, one at a time, on a journey to see a pear tree far away.

The first son went in winter.

The second went in spring.

The third went in summer.

And the fourth son went in fall.

When they all came home, the father sat them down and asked each one to describe what they saw.

The first son said: "The tree was ugly and bare. It looked half dead. There was nothing beautiful about it."

The second son disagreed: "No, the tree was full of tiny green buds. It looked like it was bursting with life. It was beautiful."

The third son shook his head: "You are both wrong. The tree was full of blossoms. It smelled incredible. It was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen."

The fourth son smiled: "I do not know what tree you are talking about. The one I saw was full of fruit, dropping pears everywhere. It was full and heavy and full of life."

The father looked at all four of his sons.

"You are all right," he said. "Because you each saw the same tree. But you each saw it in a different season."

What this story is really about.

You cannot judge a tree by looking at it in only one season.

And you cannot judge a person by seeing them in only one moment.

You might meet someone on the worst day of their life. You might see them when they are broken, or scared, or not yet who they are becoming. And you might walk away thinking you know exactly who they are.

But you only saw one season.

People, like trees, go through seasons.

There are seasons when people are growing quietly underground where no one can see it. There are seasons when they are in full bloom. There are seasons when they look empty and bare and lost.

That does not mean they are not full of life. It just means it is winter.

Do not write someone off in their winter.

And do not write yourself off either.

If you are going through a hard season right now, remember: this is not the whole story. It is not even a full chapter.

Spring comes. It always does.

"Do not let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest."