And now mid-September is here bringing with it changing seasons and bittersweet letting go. My grandson is back into his routine with school and sports and lots of time with friends. What’s new is that, for the first time, he is an only child, with all its benefits right alongside missing his sister, his best friend. My daughter and son-in-law have moved a little bit closer to empty nesting, downsizing to accommodate the movement of life. They are thoughtful and gracious in the process, making each moment of this new phase meaningful. Busy with jobs and chores, gardens and music, sports and academic events, support of community and friends, and each other. I am an old timer remembering my own walk through these changes, my stumbles, my fears, and my celebrations. Letting go was not easy then, nor is it now. But now I’m a little bit better with acceptance and gratitude rather than with resistance. Time moves us along regardless of our ideas of how it should or shouldn’t be. And I know that each of us, whatever the seasons may bring, can find joy in what is yet to be even as we treasure what has been.
O O O O O O O