The picture below is one I found many years ago when I was letting go of something that meant a lot to me. Something I really didn’t want to let go of. One day I was walking in the mall and went into this really cool little store that was filled with plaques, pictures, posters, calendars, note pads, magnets, etc. All of these items had positive uplifting quotes on them. On a shelf, sat this small picture frame. It reached out and grabbed me. I hardly had money to spend on it, and yet, I knew that message was meant for me.

As life would have it, there have been other times, I had to let go of something I didn’t want to, and this small picture frame with its words of wisdom have comforted me.

So in the first instance I had to give up my seat on the school board. In Texas, these positions are unpaid. (I remember being shocked the first time I learned that wasn’t the case everywhere else. LOL) We had kids in high school and with college approaching, we could no longer afford for me to be a full-time volunteer. However, that led to me having four wonderful years teaching theatre arts in a high school, where I was paid to do something I loved. I have fond memories of what we accomplished there.

In the second instance, the district transferred me from a school where I served as principal. I loved those kids, the staff, and parents. We became the dolphins together. I hated leaving them.

Those next two years at the new school led to me retiring early. So there was another ending and a new beginning.

That ending led to be becoming a writer, for which I’m grateful.

So here’s another ending. I can no longer walk in the mall because of the pandemic, and it’s too hot to walk much outside. I have discovered that I can get those 10 K steps in my house, walking a loop from one end to another.  Those steps get spread throughout the day, which is actually healthier for me than doing 4 or 5000 at one time. A nice surprise.

We’ve all experienced some endings lately, some sooner than we anticipated. The quotation above encourages me to hope that out of all of these endings we’re experiencing, we will find the beginning of the emergence of a new world, far better than the one that existed before.

What kinds of endings have you experienced in your life? Have they led to new, exciting beginnings?  What have you used to boost yourself over those disappointing times? Love to hear from you. 

You can contact me at marsha@marsharwest.com or through my website & signup for my Newsletter.