A few years ago I was at a friend’s house for a big holiday gathering. The house was full of adults tending to a lot of loud, energetic kids. I was just sitting there quietly, watching one of the guys my age tend to his young son. He looked up, and as if reading my mind (or at least the expression on my face) he said to me, “Everything changes Tom, everything changes.”
As simple and obvious as that statement is, I’m still struck by those profound words.
So how have you changed this past year? You might think you haven’t, but you’re not the same person today that you were at the beginning of the year. Since last Christmas, the world around you has changed. Your work has changed, your family has changed, and your relationships in both these environments have changed too.
Whether your kids are young or old, they’ve changed. Whether your parents are young or old, so have they. And it’s precisely these changes that caused you to respond, learn, and adapt throughout the year.
So how well have you handled these changes this past year? Hopefully, you dealt with most of these transitions pretty well, and learned from the times that you didn’t.
I hate to admit it, but this past year has shown me that I don’t handle change as well I thought.
Over the past twelve months, I’ve seen how the years have taken a real toll on a couple people that I love. Over forty years ago, my youthful parents moved from Green Bay to a house they built in the country. They turned it into a great home, filled with good times and bad. Now forty-some years later, their home became more of a house and decided to move to Green Bay.
Last Christmas, I didn’t realize that it would be our last Christmas in that house. Chances are, this Christmas will different for you and your family too. Maybe it’s your first Christmas without someone you love. Maybe it’s your first Christmas with someone you love. Either way, this one will be different.
They say every ending is the start of a new beginning. I’m not sure who “they” are, but they’re right. We’ve all passed through a lot of endings/beginnings in order to arrive at where we’re at today. They’ve changed us, and they make life the wonderful adventure it’s supposed to be.
Here’s to celebrating life… Merry Christmas!