The Beauty of Change

"There are risks and costs to a program of action, but they are far less than the long-range risks and costs of comfortable inaction." ~John F. Kennedy

Change. 

It's a big word for only being six letters.  Change is hard.  Change is uncomfortable.  Change can hurt.  But change is also growth.  Change is necessary.  Change is a part of life.  Change is beautiful.  And learning how to navigate (and maybe even thrive) in a changing world is an important life skill we need to work to provide for our children.

It is so easy to just "go with the flow" and accept things the way they are, simply because that is how they have always been.  But when our brain and our heart tell us that the way things are is not okay, we have a responsibility to address that.  In fact, as parents we have both a responsibility to address what isn't right and work to bring about change, but also a responsibility to raise children who will do the same.  And we all know that our children might hear what we say, but they will DO what we DO (and sometimes, that reality might scare us half to death, but it also needs to motivate us to be DO-ers, not just TALK-ers.)

Our family is in the middle of a series of changes that have come about as a result of us acknowledging and addressing some things that we have seen and feel with all of our hearts and all of our minds are not right for us.  It hasn't been easy and it has been a long time coming, but we are just happy to finally be on a path of change, instead of a state of "comfortable inaction."  We are excited to be making steps forward, and are grateful for every positive experience we have had as we've begun to make these changes.  We have all had the chance to meet new people (amazing people) who we would not have met had we chosen to stick with the status quo, and each new relationship built is truly a blessing.  We are excited about what is to come and look forward to the journey.

This process has not been without its share of bumps in the road, though, and our focus has not always been what it should have been.  We have often found ourselves lost in a sea of despair as we have focused on the negative and on trying to find a way to verbalize exactly what it was about the world surrounding our children that we were unhappy about.  The next step we got stuck on was wheel-spinning as we tried to swim against the stream and wished for change in a space where most others were content with things as they were.  Naturally, this left us feeling exhausted and frustrated as we struggled and struggled, with no progress.  It wasn't until we shifted our focus to finding real solutions and working to solve problems that we finally began to feel a sense of peace.  Once we made the leap to embrace one major change, it all began to make sense and the rest of the changes have been easier to approach.  We finally came to really understand that life is not about what happens around you or what happens TO you, but actually about what you choose to do about it...wallow in the negative and allow it to consume you, or focus on the positive and become a problem solver, finding a way to turn those lemons into lemonade! :)

My very favorite part of this period in our lives as a family has been watching my children thrive in the midst of change.  Seeing these kids embrace new experiences and jump in, with both feet, to unfamiliar situations and make friends and try new things is such a joy.  I have been so proud of them all as they have learned how to be themselves and have the confidence to know that they should never second-guess what comes naturally to them as long as they are being true to who they are and living a life designed to love and serve others.  I feel so blessed to have been chosen to be these kiddos' mom and to have the amazing opportunity to do this life with them.  I can't get over how often I watch them and think,"There is NO WAY I would have handled that with that much grace at their age!"  The truth is, my children have taught me more about how to love life and embrace change than I ever could have imagined and for that, I am beyond grateful!  

So, as we continue to enjoy our lazy summer days at home together and begin to think about preparing for a school year full of new adventures, I choose to live each day full of gratitude for all we have been blessed with and all we have to look forward to.  I also choose to see change as a beautiful, beautiful part of a life designed for growth and love, and know that it is a very good thing.