10 Years!
10 years is a long time to live in one place.
It’s hard to leave 10 years worth of experiences, friendships and comfort behind.
As youth are graduating all over the nation, our little family is, in a sense, graduating too. We are moving on to a new phase of life, an adventure with many unknown possibilities! It’s moments like these – – a move, graduation, death, anniversaries – – that we tend to take pause to look back at what we have (or have not) accomplished. I know I have a tendency to think a little bit more about the “not done” side of things when reflecting on the past. I take solace in the reminder from Edward Dube, “In the sight of the Lord, it is not so much what we have done or where we have been but much more where we are willing to go.”
After having taken inventory of the past ten years (and after saying one too many good-byes), I think I can now take the lessons I’ve learned and move forward.
What have I learned?
1.The people we meet along the way matter more than the events that occurred. I have a friend who talks about “learning people.” It’s an exciting thing to do! Each person I truly come to know, I feel I then get to know God just a little bit better as well.
2.Growth is a personal matter. I’ve wasted too much of my time on earth comparing and competing with others. Doing so is simply not worth it! Yes, there are amazing people to learn from and to even try to emulate…but envy has a very different feeling to it.
3.Family and my place as wife and mother in the home is essential. The joy of motherhood has ebbed and flowed in my life, as it does for most mothers I’m sure. Ultimately, mothers are the gatekeepers of their homes. Our home here has brought love and joy to my heart. The home we are to establish in our new town will likely be just as safe and warm. We’ve had ten years of creating family traditions, a family culture, and family love that will continue no matter the location of our home. This brings me peace in a time of change and transition.
And so I take these lessons with me as we move on. Having gained this knowledge I can make different choices and see more clearly who I am and what I’m meant to be. Reflecting on the struggles and blessings that brought about this knowledge helps me to look forward to the new lessons and challenges to come! I’m excited rather than depressed. I’m curious rather than scared. I’m anxious in a good way rather than filled with anxiety.
Endings can be difficult. But as we learn from the Reverend Mother in The Sound of Music, “When the Lord closes a door, he always opens a window.”
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“We read in Proverbs the admonition, ‘Ponder the path of thy feet.’ As we do, we will have the faith, even the desire, to walk the path which Jesus walked. We will have no doubt that we are on a path which our Father would have us follow. The Savior’s example provides a framework for everything that we do, and His words provide an unfailing guide. His path will take us safely home.”
Thomas S. Monson
-Julia
This article was seen first on Real Imprints.