New Beginnings

For those who know me, or follow my blog, you will understand the inspiration behind this post.  My daddy always told me, be careful what you wish for!! Sometimes we get in a rut, and wish things were different.  And sometimes we get our wish, and things change.  And we find ourselves faced with a new beginning.

A friend of mine who works for the Barrow Journal asked if I'd be interested in submitting a column for the paper.  Writing is a guilty pleasure, though I seem to have let my passion wane a bit over the past few years.  I'm excited to share that my very first article was published in last week's paper, and now I'm sharing it here!!  Hope you will enjoy, and maybe catch me from time to time in the pages of the Journal.  

New Beginnings

The past few years have provided me with several opportunities for New Beginnings.   Not all of them were welcomed, and a couple of them were actually quite devastating – at that moment.  But time and God have a way of working things out for the best.  These New Beginnings have made me stronger, and have confirmed that I’m where I’m supposed to be, doing what I’m supposed to do. 

New Beginnings are sometimes a little scary.  The opportunity to submit a few words to the Journal is exciting, yet humbling…. and a little bit scary.   My blog has gone unattended for quite some time, and the words I’d normally write seem only to tumble around in my head these days, and never get written.  Sometimes Facebook provides a soapbox on which to stand and opine about the topic de jour but I’ve missed recording my thoughts lately.  This New Beginning with The Journal will perhaps reignite my passion for collecting my thoughts on “paper”.     

So today I will think about  New Beginnings.  They are everywhere.  It won’t be long before the big yellow school buses will once again rumble up and down the streets of our neighborhoods.  Freshly-scrubbed little cherubs will be left in their classrooms for the first time, while teary-eyed parents reluctantly leave them behind.  Middle school kids will put on brave faces, hoping to hide their nervousness, as they pass through the doors of their new schools, while the 9^th graders are ready to tackle the exciting world of high school.  Teachers will begin their preparations in just a few short weeks now, and before we know it, the New Beginnings of school will settle into a routine.  

A few Saturdays from now, a coin will be tossed, a whistle will be blown, and the Bulldogs will dominate  the field to tackle the New Beginning  of another season.  (Go Dawgs!!)

There will be new jobs for some, new babies, new marriages, new homes, etc, all to be celebrated!  There are times, though, when a New Beginning is the result of the ending of something else.  Not all  are pleasant, and are sometimes brought about by divorce, death of a loved one, loss of a job, health challenges, etc.  While there is always uncertainty whenever we leave behind the old and embrace the new, all we can do is trust that our past life experiences, the lessons we have learned, and our faith will carry us through to the other side of the New Beginning… to our new normal. 

Is there a New Beginning in your future?  Regardless of age, it can, and does happen – at times when we least expect it.  Meet the changes head on!  Or if you’re in a rut, make some New Beginnings for yourself!   Do something different – learn a new hobby, research something that interests you  (How did we ever live without Google?),  volunteer at a homeless shelter or a local animal shelter.  There are so many ways to get outside your box, do something new, and help someone else at the same time. 

My challenge to you this week is this: Do one new thing!   Make a change!  Shake things up!

What will your New Beginning look like?