Like ripping off a bandaid…

That’s what change feels like right now to me … today…. I know it has to happen and I may as well get it over with … there will be a sharp pain that takes my breath away and then it won’t hurt so bad.

Change.

We are watching and supporting and loving our children through changes as they progress in their adult lives.

New service times and locations for worship at church have brought Russ and I adjustments as we are encouraged to embrace change.

With roles in leadership, we are called not only to process these changes on a personal level but also to help others through the time of transition.

Change.

And then we decided to remodel our kitchen, you know …. so….more change…

yesterday afternoon I emptied out the last of the cabinets  into the room formerly known as the…dining room…

I hope the new cabinet arrangement will have enough space for important things like…

recipes I want to try…

And….empty bags of croutons

… because…really?

Don’t judge me until you check out your own cabinets and then talk to me.

But our kitchen held more than these important and necessary items.

For example, many cabinet doors looked like this on the inside…

Because the internet can go down, but paper is forever and these little inspirations kept this mom going many a day.

And that’s the thing about change.

It can seem like an erasing of all that was dear and precious before the change came.

Yes we are going to have a brand new kitchen. And a brand new church. And a brand new normal to our family as they grow.

At the point between the old and new, I am filled with memories that echo in the midst of change. And sometimes the physical places where those moments happened can seem crucial to holding my heart treasures intact.

And I think that is where we need to leave room to grieve.

Last night I allowed myself a good cry in that empty kitchen as I saw the shadows of teenagers sitting on the counter talking to me while I made dinner, the zillion bread crumbs I wiped up over the years, our long-passed dog Mitzi snagging the banana bread off the counter when I wasn’t looking…I saw friends piling their plates from dishes lined around those textured formica counter tops….I’ve crammed weird tupperware on shelves and stashed Dove Dark Chocolate in between jars of almonds and …life…every day life…has been lived in that old kitchen.

And today it will be hauled out into our garage and tomorrow we will embrace change. And the story and the family and the memories…they are intact…held together with the glue of love and God’s grace….so…

Stay tuned…as we…journey onward <3