Life
is changed, not ended. -- Commemoration
of the Dead, BCP 382
There
are lots of quotes about endings and beginnings. There are
reflections on endings that are beginnings. Closed doors and open
windows. Friends for a season. Good while it lasted. Moving on.
And I'm sure you can think of many other quotes and thoughts about
endings and beginnings.
But
this line from the BCP has always resonated with me; probably even
more so now as a clergy person who has dealt with my fair share of
transitions – from moves to new people to funerals and much more.
Change is inevitable. Anything that is alive experiences many
changes. So carrying that understanding forward through our faith
can can allow us to see not an ending but a change.
Which
brings me to my most current “changed but not ended.”
In
two days Joelene and I will sign papers and close the deal on our new
house. This is both exciting and terrifying.
It's
exciting because we are thrilled to have found a place that
symbolizes our comfort and love of being here. It's a symbol of a
sense of permanence that we feel about this place. And saying, “We
bought a house,” means that looking forward doesn't necessarily
entail looking west.
It's
terrifying because I can no longer call the landlord/owner and say,
“Hey, the garbage disposal is broken, can you please fix it.”
I'm reminded of Red Green, who said, “If the women don't find you
handsome, at least let 'em find you handy,” and am awfully glad my
wife finds me handsome. And I wonder if “righty-tighty,
lefty-loosey” changes if I'm looking at the thing from up top or
from my back.
We
have some big changes ahead. We have been renters for so long that
this really is the end of life as we know it. But it's not really
the end, it's just one more change in a life of changes.
So
the next time you think you're facing the end, I encourage you to
recall these words from the BCP: Life is changed, not ended.
Blessings,
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