Accepting change
and growing from it...
“Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.”
When I look back at where I was a year ago and where I am now, the changes that have taken place in my personal life are mind-boggling.
Facebook memories provide comforting and yet stark reminders from my past. Sometimes that is good…sometimes not so much…
My newsletter also gives me a chance to reflect on my thoughts and my priorities…where I was and what I was focusing on during different times throughout the past year.
As I have said before, dealing with changes in my life has always been a real challenge for me. I will be the first one to admit that I like things to stay the same. As the saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
When I think of changes, I specifically remember a day back in 2019 when I took my mother and son to a funeral of a mutual friend and afterwards we drove around the countryside where I grew up. We went back to the small Catholic elementary school I attended as a child in the 1970s. Other than the fact that it was much smaller than I remembered, it looked exactly the same.
Afterwards, we drove to visit one of my mother’s friends of over 50 years, stopping in at her dairy farm. These were all positive experiences that reminded me of my wonderful childhood.
Then, we ended by driving by the farm I grew up on and I am sad to say our old farm looked foreclosed, with long grass growing, missing trees and even the large barn was gone and replaced by piles of rubble...I was in shock, not even slowing down the car to take in anymore than I had to.
My Mom reacted with her typical grace saying, "Well Sheila, it just goes to show you that everything in life changes...Thank goodness for our good memories…"
As I continued our drive back to my home, I realized that once again I was supported by my incredible mother. She was sad and yet not overcome. She was surprised and yet not inconsolable.
She was instead comforted by her memories and realistic in that nothing materialistic on this earth really belongs to us. Instead all possessions are just ours for a time and they do not last forever. What does last forever are the memories we take with us.
A few months ago, I found myself driving past my old farm again. I was nervous about what I would find but I was also happy to show my friend Sarah my childhood home that I spoke of so fondly.
To my surprise the farm was in much better shape than it was in 2019. The house looked lived in and the lawn was mowed. Where other buildings once stood, such as the barn, there were no signs of their existence. Instead, a combination of time and mother nature had erased any traces of the past.
I stopped and took a few pictures and absorbed the moment, remembering all of the hard work and all of the good memories that took place on that piece of earth.
Perhaps most importantly, I remembered the people who I shared those experiences with… Some are still here while others are now my guardian angels.
Regardless, my mother was right...in the end, your memories are what sustain us…and inspire us…as we move forward…
And the key is to do just that…move forward…
What do you think?
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Tranquil Moments…
I asked my niece, Jennifer Malphy, if she could share some of her nature photos with my newsletter audience. Each week I will feature a new photo. Here is this week’s:
Poetry that Inspires
April is National Poetry Month and in celebration I want to share poems that inspire me - Here’s this week’s poem:
Change Is
By Ann Silvers
Change takes energy,
Releases energy,
Is tiring,
Exhilarating.
Change requires focus,
Happens without our knowing,
Is conscious,
Subconscious.
Change is moving forward,
Stepping back,
In our interests,
Error.
Change is a clenched gut,
Blood coursing through veins,
A deer caught in the headlights,
Homerun.
Change is molasses in January,
A speeding bullet,
A blinking of an eye,
Cataclysmic.
Change is exercise,
Reading a book,
Mending a heart,
Prayer.
Change is learning to walk,
Adolescent dating,
Raising children,
Menopause.
Change is a red light,
Can’t go this way,
Take another route,
Stop.
Change is a yellow light,
Decisions to make,
Tentative steps,
Caution.
Change is a green light,
Time to move,
Opportunity knocks,
Go.
Children’s Corner
Back in 1999, when I was an elementary school librarian, I started a project where I wrote letters (old fashioned, printed letters) to a variety of famous people. This was prior to the daily use of email and text messages. My questions were simple…
1) From your own life experiences, how has reading affected your life in a positive manner?
2) Was there any particular person or experience in your life that made you aware of the value of literature and the importance of reading?
I am going to share these letters and let you experience the joy many of my students (and myself) have gotten from their touching words - Here is this week’s:
This week’s Smile video…
Retired police lieutenant Gene Eyster of South Bend, Indiana, had always wondered what became of the abandoned baby he saved 24 years ago. Steve Hartman goes "On the Road" to reveal how a phone call from a fellow officer revealed their incredible connection
#believe #smilevideos #spreadkindnessandlove
Mind/Body Connections…
It can be hard to learn how to deal with change and the unknown. The future can be uncertain and scary. But we cannot live in fear! We can focus our minds to give us strength and confidence in life. This guided mindfulness meditation will help us to be present and aware. We will learn to embrace change with joy and curiosity. Let anxiety drift away and allow peace and calm to flow into every fiber of your being!
This week’s TED Talk
Change can be transforming, even if it feels devastating. This talk helps people everywhere manage crises and difficult moments. Manu was a successful business owner until her child was diagnosed with cancer. Today she helps people reinvent themselves and navigate the four stages of change.
Comedy Lift…
I love to share funny cartoons or memes with friends and family. Who doesn’t need to smile? Here’s this week’s Comedy Lift…
Music Moments
Music inspires me in many ways. Here’s another one of my favorites, Celine Dion and James Corden doing carpool karaoke...Enjoy!
Quote of the week
Until next week. Please remember…Begin and end each day with a grateful heart…and always, always be kind….
"I know not what course others may take, but as for me..."