December 2022. The year is drawing to an end, making way for 2023. I often have chosen to ignore the change of one year to another, insisting that it’s really just another day. It’s a continuation of our life, not a stop-and-start-anew mechanism. Yet somehow, this year I feel different. I sense the passing from one season to another. I want to reflect on what this means throughout this month.

Maybe that’s because today’s post comes out on the day of my late husband’s birthday. If David were still alive, he’d turn 72 today. Happy birthday, David. My life would be so different than it is now if he were still here. I have no idea how. I have no conception of it. Losing David’s presence in my life was a great loss.

But here’s the thing. My life is good. I am happy. I have transitioned from one season of my life into another; one love into another. The two seasons don’t compare; they don’t compete. They are both my life, and in both I know I’m right where I am meant to be. My life has continued through loss and rebirth. And it’s all good.

I offer this as hope to anyone who is in a stage of transition, leaving behind something or someone that has been a steady presence in your life and waiting to find what comes next. A new season. It’s in our nature to resist change and to try to hold on to what has passed, but it’s also in our nature to be resilient. And it’s okay if a season of mourning bridges the two.

We are on a journey filled with twists and turns and ups and downs in this world. Sometimes our heart gets overwhelmed, and it lags behind. It wants to stop. There is only one antidote for such heaviness – Keep going. Keep moving. Keep walking . . . and know that your heart will catch up. 

In the next couple of weeks, we will look into how to keep going, keep moving, keep walking.