Standing Between Two Seasons

I've been feeling a little...off.

Not bad.

Not unhappy.

Just that feeling I sometimes get when summer starts slipping away.

The mornings are darker.

The air feels different.

Schedules are back.

And suddenly the season that felt like it had so much time left...

doesn't.

I always have a little bit of a hard time with it.

But this year, I think there's something else underneath it.

My girls are growing up.

One is already away at college.

The other is a high school senior, talking about applications, college visits, and what comes next.

And I'm excited for them.

Truly.

I love watching them become who they're becoming.

AND...

Another part of me would like everyone to stop growing up for five minutes. 😂

Can we just freeze things right here?

Because that's the weird thing about change.

Sometimes nothing is wrong.

In fact, everything can be exactly as it should be...

And you can still feel sad that it's changing.

I've been thinking about that a lot lately.

We talk so much about embracing the next chapter.

Moving forward.

Letting go.

What's next?

But maybe we don't always need to rush ourselves there.

Maybe sometimes we get to stand in the doorway between two seasons for a minute.

Look back.

Take it in.

Feel grateful.

Feel sad.

Feel excited.

Feel all of it.

I've spent a lot of my life looking ahead.

What's next?

What am I creating?

Where are we going?

What needs to happen?

And lately I find myself wanting to practice something different.

Being here while I'm still here.

Enjoying this version of my family before it changes again.

Noticing the ordinary dinners.

The shoes by the door.

The conversations in the kitchen.

The texts from the daughter who's away.

The chaos I'm sure I'll miss someday.

Maybe that's what this change of season is reminding me.

We don't have to cling to what was.

And we don't have to rush toward what's next.

We can just be here.

For this part.

For as long as it's ours.

So if you're in a season of transition too—kids growing up, a career changing, a relationship shifting, a chapter ending, or maybe you can simply feel that life is moving...

don't rush yourself.

You can be ready for what's next and still feel tender about what's ending.

Both can be true.

Maybe that's what it means to really be present for your life.

Not just appreciating the beautiful beginnings.

But also paying attention to the endings.