Transitions

‘Tis the season for transitions, the most prevalent one these days being graduation. From pre-school to college it seems everyone is graduating these days, transitioning from what was to what is going to be, whatever that “going to be” happens to be!

By far the most common graduation is from high school. This transition signals, for most teens, the move to adulthood. High school students have looked forward to this day practically from birth: independence day!! Little do they know. . .

But what about other transitions? My pastor spoke of the transition of the liturgical year from Easter to Pentecost to the Ordinary Year, each an important season in the church year. But we all face and move through many, many other transitions in our lifetimes, beyond the high school graduate scenarios.

Many of us move – or moved – from high school to college to careers to marriage to children (and the many transitions of our children) to empty nest to retirement. And in between these noticeable changes are the more subtle ones that sometimes we don’t even think about or realize are happening. The most in-the-moment imperceptible of these changes is aging.

The progression through the various ages and stages of our lives happens differently for each person, individually and in their own time. In a recent conversation with one of my granddaughters I noted that I have been mostly content with each year or decade of my life. I urged her to remember and enjoy each of the moments of her growth now and through her teen years and beyond, and to understand that some things are meant to be enjoyed and experienced at different seasons of her life, that everything doesn’t need to happen this week!

How often do we wish that something – anything! - would happen sooner rather than later? Remember wanting that first boyfriend or girlfriend to enter our lives? Looking forward to getting a job so we’d have money to fill-in-the-blank. . .and then looking toward the next event that would symbolize that we are moving ahead.

During all of these transitions our body, our mind, and our very souls are changing so subtly that we don’t notice the day to day differences, but only when we look back to our 20s, 30s, or even 50s do we note that, well, we’re not the same person we once were. We can’t run as well (if running was ever your thing to do!). Our joints ache. We can’t eat the same foods. Illness seems to be the most prominent circumstance of who we are these days. But, oh, the fun and rewarding transitions: children, and grandchildren, better jobs, vacations, new friends, new homes. Peace with ourselves and our lives. We embrace all these transitions that make us who we are today. We need these transitions to keep moving forward each and every day, even as we continue to the end of our lives.

And that, for the most part, is good. Do we really want to back and face the struggles of those earlier years? Thankfully we most often remember the good times, the positive changes, the personal growth that sustained us through all our next seasons. When you think about it, our lives are mostly a series of transitions. Welcome those transitions and changes. How boring would life be without those little (or not so little!) surprises that come with the transitions. Continuing to move forward with strength and confidence and anticipation and joy through all your transitions is all that matters.