New Chapters

A chapter of my life is coming to a close. Times like these always cause me to look back onto other sections of my life that have come to completion. I love doing this because I get to see how much I've grown, how far I've come, how many things I've learned...

This morning I was thinking about some particularly hard beginnings, most of which involved Tiffany, our middle daughter. Periods of time where I faced things like: Having her opened up for surgery and wondering if she would survive sedation; Making a choice to place her in a group home (for a time) so our family could heal, Having a G-tube surgically inserted to give her relief from aspirating everything she swallowed; And finally... her death in my arms. These were very difficult chapters to start, but their endings never ceased to surprise me.

 Bad beginnings don't always have terrible endings. Sometimes you have to start down a treacherous trail to find that it eventually banks right and leads you to an oasis you never would have discovered if you hadn't taken the journey. I have lots of friends in these places right now. Know that you are being watched and prayed over every step of your reluctant adventure. There is so much to discover and others are learning too as they watch you maneuver through your choices.

Life often opens new chapters without us ever getting to voice a "say" whether or not we want to embark on their course. We kick and fuss, crying about how awful these circumstances are. We become so focused on the problem that we never even notice that we have officially begun a new adventure. It isn't until days like today, that we get to look back and appreciate the journey itself.

In the next couple of weeks, I'll be ending a job and beginning several other new positions. I plan to begin this new chapter with eyes-wide-open and my heart in adventure-mode. I don't want to miss a single moment or waste any time giving attention to things that will slow me down. I want to boldly go where this girl has not gone before. I want to LIVE before I die and leave a legacy that inspires others to live life to its fullest.

So today, I leave you with a question to kick-start your next adventure... If time and money were not an issue, what journey would you set course for? Now, let the adventure begin!