Beginnings & Endings
Louis L'Amour says, "There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning."
Lately, Bob and I have contemplated our empty nest years. Tabitha has had a very busy summer. She's been gone so much, we can't help but realize that an empty nest will feel quite similar. This is neither good nor bad. It is just the way life cycles sometimes. Now we are starting to understand that as one phase of life finishes, another begins. We now have a grandson! While possibilities of an emptier nest approaches, we now know what will fill that space…Asa!
Witnessing our children becoming adults is a complex blessing. We are pleased to see how they live, act, work, interact, grow, develop, plan, recreate, and learn in the daily living of life. It brings a sweet feeling to the heart to see them doing some of the very things you may have done. It also brings a sense of dread to your conscience to wonder if they'll make some of the same mistakes you might have made. There good and bad news which comes with that one…they will make some of the same mistakes, but just like you, they will learn from them. They will make some of their very own mistakes; they will learn from them, as well. They will also, occasionally, listen to you and avoid some of the pitfalls you point out.
Whatever stage of life you currently find yourself living, savor these moments. They will come to an end. But something else will begin. Learn the lessons that are to be learned. Pass on your wisdom to others who are entering that part of the cycle. Consider new ways of being in the world. Reconsider tradition and give it its due. I'm sure both will have merit and the places where new and old meet might bring a higher level of understanding…an opportunity to recognize where God is in the midst of it all.
As Christ breathed his last breath, he declared that IT was finished. That is when it all began! When endings are beginnings and beginnings are endings, there is great possibilities to encounter the divine. My daughter's pregnancy is over and parenting begins. My nest will soon be empty, but my heart is full…fuller than ever before. Death will one day visit us all, but new life always springs eternal.
Love does not end, it transforms; it grows if it is nurtured. It begins to be something new. When you find yourself facing an ending, keep watch, because that means something else is about to begin. It's in these connection points where you will find the space between the human and the divine thin enough to know that God is near. It's not that God isn't always near, it's just that endings and beginnings are ideal places for you to allow yourself enough grace to notice. I pray you have many endings and beginnings in your lives…the time to recognize them for what they are.
Blessings,
Tracy