Accepting Loss and Change.

Change is a part of life. We all go through different stages of life: childhood, teens, young adult, middle age and old age. Each stage brings change with it. For me, the hardest change has been old age. I am 63, which sounds soooo old to me, yet I don't feel old. My body does, but my heart doesn't.

My heart still wants to hike in the mountains, go on long trips, walk downtown, shop for hours etc. But because of physical limitations, I can't do those things any longer. It can be quite wrenching to lose your physical abilities. It wasn't something I planned for or even expected. Like any loss, it brings sadness but I'm trying to think of what I can do and not what I can't do.

We lose lots of things in life. We can lose a loved one, a job, a marriage, our looks, and our health. All of these losses are traumatic. Still, we need to move on with our lives. I was reading a book called, "Get Over It & On With It," by Michelle McKinney Hammond. She writes, "We lose the victory we could have when we refuse to accept change by focusing on what has been - what we no longer have or have never had. One tree-itis. Um hmm. That's what most of us have. We get stuck on the one tree we can't eat from."

Limitations. We all have them, even the most talented people in the world have limitations. They can only go so far and do so much. I remember a time I was asked to write for an online forum. It was an honor to be asked, but things started to go all wrong. I was getting involved in controversies and arguments with other writers. I cried out to God about the situation and a verse came into my mind, "...neither do I exercise myself in great matters or in things too wonderful for me. Psalm 131:1 God was telling me I was in over my head and there was no blessing in it. I stopped the project and felt happy and relieved though embarrassed.

But although there are things I cannot do; there are lots of things I can do. I'm looking into making mosaics, I'm writing this blog and writing a paraphrase of the book, "Consolation of Philosophy." There are books to read and of course, there is God. When you can't do much physically, you have lots of time for God and that has been my greatest blessing since retiring from babysitting.

I'll end with another quote from Ms. Hammond, "It is unhealthy not to embrace change and make the necessary transition.Now is the time to focus on an important issue: What do we do next?"