Recently I flew home to Chicago to help with the process of packing up my mom’s home and getting it ready to sell. If you’ve ever had to do this with your own parents, you know all too well this can be a daunting task!
The decision to move my mom into an assisted living apartment was made last December. Although it had been a long time coming, it was only after a series of events that my mom (reluctantly) agreed.
Prior to moving my mom into assisted living, she had been living on her own since my father passed away in 1999. At that time, my parents had been married 42 years so you can only imagine how many memories have been tucked away in their home.
My mom and I decided to start with her bedroom. As we began to clean out the closets and the dressers, I could see how emotional this was for her. All of the memories of her life were suddenly being laid out before her.
As I listened to the stories about the life she had lived, I realized what an incredible gift this was to be here with her. These moments were not to be taken lightly. These were the moments that I will cherish forever.
Change is inevitable. While a significant ending in your life can leave you feeling unsure about what the future holds, viewing an ending as an opportunity for a new beginning can fill the next phase of your life with infinite possibilities. This is exactly what happened for my mom.
Now that she has moved out of her home, my mom is talking about moving to Tucson. My sister and I are thrilled! This is something we have wanted for many years but my mom would not even consider it.
Clearly, the decision to leave her home was the ending that my mom needed in order to see the possibility of living in Tucson.
Is there a change that you’ve been considering in your own life? Have you been letting the fear of change hold you back from the next phase of your life?
Sometimes, choosing to let go of the life we have planned allows us to finally see the life that is waiting for us.
If you’ve been wanting to make that change, perhaps the question to ask yourself is, “What am I waiting for?”
