Yesterday I mentioned that our Compassion daughter has recently graduated from the program, and our contact with her has come to an end. This has been really hard. It is really hard to let go of the old.
But at the same time, we have a new Compassion daughter which we now get to build a relationship with. Not only that, we added three new Compassion daughters. A new season of hope is now before us!
It is so strange how hope can intermingle together with grief.
In our society today I don’t think there is much space given to allow grief to exist. But grief does exist. And we can’t just bury it … or ignore it.
It’s ok to acknowledge our grief. It’s ok to accept it … and let it sit with us for a little bit. Only when we accept and acknowledge our grief will we have the freedom to move forward into the next season God has for us.
It is a bit like the forested property which hubby and I care for. Back in the 1800’s the property was clear-cut for timber by the railroad company. The massive giants of the old-growth forest were no more. A “season” had come to an end.
But new seedlings grew up. Cedars and Hemlocks and Douglas Fir. Deciduous Big Leaf Maples grew too, changing the dynamic of the landscape. This was a new season. The landscape was completely different than the way it used to be. These trees grew tall, into the 80-foot tall trees we have today. The forest was beautiful.
But a fungal root disease has been taking out the Hemlocks, one at a time. Slowly the Hemlocks are coming down. The landscape is changing once again. This property, which was forested with tall, majestic evergreens, is now much more open … vacant space … where the Hemlocks used to be. A “season” has once again come to an end.
When hubby and I purchased the property a few years ago, one of the first things we did was to plant 100 baby cedars. In today’s background photo you can see one of the newly planted baby cedar trees, back in 2019.
Change takes time. Change is slow.
The baby cedars are growing fabulously … and each year as the cedars continue to grow taller and taller, the forest will continue to take on a slightly different look and feel. It’s a new and different “season” for our forested property.
Just as the landscape is dynamic and changing, so also nothing in life stays the same. The seasons come … the seasons go. The trees bud out in the spring, produce leaves and seeds through the summer … then let the leaves and seeds fall to nourish the soil and sustain life through the winter.
Change isn’t easy. But it’s a part of life.
Letting go of our Compassion daughter isn’t easy. It is hard. And it is sad. But it is part of life.
But there is hope! There is always hope! When one season comes to an end, God always has a new season just around the corner. A new season … with new potential and possibilities!
It’s ok to let go of the old … and embrace the new.
