The end of 2020 and the beginning of 2021 brought some major life moves. Other than family and some close friends, a lot of people didn’t know about the ending of a chapter that even I didn’t see coming so soon. But when you’re reading a book, sometimes a chapter comes to a full stop or a cliff-hanger leaving you ready to turn the page and start the next chapter. Other times, the chapter wraps itself up nicely when coming to the end. But, no matter how it ends, theres always a finality to it. It leaves the reader in a whirlwind of emotions, with no inkling of what the next chapter has in store.
In the space between chapters theres an interesting give-and-take that takes place. The story will go on and continue to build with the next chapter, but the contents of the previous chapter are wrapped in the limits of a page range. Time passes, the characters move on, and new opportunities present themselves.
When a new chapter begins, there’s a breath of fresh air – a sense of “newness” {it’s a word, I looked it up..}. With a new chapter comes so many new possibilities. There’s quiet as you build the setting for this chapter. There’s peace for a moment. Also, there’s grace.. an unspoken, quiet grace. A new chapter may have a totally different tone than the previous chapter. But there’s always space to pause, refocus, and continue on.
I say all of that to say this – the end of 2020 came with a leap of faith for me. I left my job, moved back to my hometown, and said goodbye to a place I called home for about 6 years. I knew it was the right move to make, but in the moment, that knowledge didn’t make it any easier to make the jump. The end of that chapter was messy, emotional, and at times, plain crazy. But when all was said and done, and the dust settled, there was peace.
So now I’m in the middle of the beginning of a new chapter. What this chapter has in store for me, I have no idea. I just trust the One who is holding the pen. But there’s an unspoken, quiet grace here in this moment. A grace to know it’s okay to not know what lays ahead. There’s so many things I want to do with my life. There’s things I want to create, people I want to meet, things I want to accomplish. But right now – today – there’s a stillness and a peace to be here and rest in this moment. This present moment is giving time to reflect, but also there’s an expectancy in the air. Something new, something fresh, and when the time comes, I’ll know what it is.
So whatever the beginning of 2021 has looked like for you, I hope you’ve taken time to pause and take a deep breath. I don’t know where in your current chapter you are, but I hope you take a moment and reflect on it. Find the beauty and grace in this moment for you. Our lives are a work of art, and the older we get, the more detail and color we see.
So keep creating, keep dreaming, and keep your head up. It’s together that we’re going to get through this.
Lauren out. ❤
Chronically Faithful 