Beauty and Belonging Discovered After Change (From the Archives)

When we moved from Florida to Alaska in 2007, it wasn't necessarily a big hit with our teenage girls. My oldest moved off to college saying she would visit us but she wasn't "moving out of the country." My youngest, was about to start 8th grade and had strong opinions about leaving her friends and the beach (though she began reading about the number of moose killed on the highways each year and was a bit intrigued 🤷‍♀️). A few weeks after we moved in, she said, "Mom, it's like every window is a framed piece of art." And, I had to strongly agree. There was a lot of discovery for her. She learned she could enjoy hiking with her parents as several families would hike together - the kids always in the lead. She learned to cross-country ski. And she met a young man, who eventually became her husband and the father to my precious grands. A move she was initially opposed to, turned into an opportunity to discover beauty, skills, and belonging. (BTW even my oldest succumbed to the amazing beauty and adventures of Alaska for a few years after college). This past year, with both girls moving back to the lower 48, we downsized. A few days ago, I was sitting on the sofa and reflecting on this year of massive change. My husband's partner retired and he merged with another small group. My social circles changed partly due to COVID. Ethically, I felt I must leave the private practice as noted in a previous email. We sold our house that we had renovated over 11 years and moved across town. With my husband's new practice, came schedule changes that affected our usual comfortable patterns. I was more in a bitter-sweet place than a stressed-out one as I pondered. Then, I looked up and happened to see the scene above - it was a great reminder of the great framed pieces of art we have here. There is beauty in change - it's there for discovering if we seek it.

Where can you stop, breathe, and be present? What do you notice with intention - the people, nature, your growth, or something else in which beauty may be hiding?