A Wedding – A few last words…

“Once in awhile, 
Right in the middle of an ordinary life, 
Love gives us a fairy tale.”
 Anonymous

 A special thanks to all my blogger friends who joined the Wedding Dialogues.  Your thoughtful comments and “likes” were much appreciated.

The Wedding Dialogues would not be complete without an epilogue containing some final thoughts on transitions. 

Four years ago, we travelled to Edmonton to attend my nephew’s birthday, the first of the next generation.  The bridal gown, the bridesmaid’s dresses, the tuxes, the cake and the music were an eclectic celebration of a joyous union.  The bride and groom danced into the early hours of the morning. Fast forward to the present, my nephew and his wife left my niece’s wedding early to be with their young son.  They had effortlessly transitioned into the roles of father and mother.

In the same four years, my brother and his wife have effortlessly transitioned into their roles as grandparents and, with the most recent wedding, assumed the title of empty nesters.

My other nieces and nephews have surpassed the single digit age; like my son, they are continuing their education and choosing a vocation pathway.  Their transitions were effortless.

With their children moving on, my other siblings and their partners, continue with amazing careers that motivate innovative thinking and stimulate creativity.  Again, their transitions were effortless.

My father and mother attended the first wedding, but with the recent passing of my father, my mother was the sole torch-bearer for the oldest generation.  She graciously accepted, what was for her, the most profound and life altering change. Outwardly, her transition appeared to be effortless.

Transitions are never effortless.

It takes a time to revisit priorities, look at the possible alternatives, and find the comfortable balance, the right-sized niche to continue with the next phase.   And it takes courage to let go of what was; to embrace what is or what will be…

How do I know this, you may ask?  Quite simply, I have lived and will continue to experience transitions, with varying degrees of success.  I miss my father; I am proud of my son; I have a husband, who has been my kindred spirit, to share the next stage…

I always believed that, with more experience and knowledge, it would all become easier.  But it seems that there are levels of complexity to this process, much like a video game.  Once you master one level, another, usually more difficult, comes along to build resilience and implant a little audacity. Maybe that’s how it is supposed to work…

We would not want to remain at level one, knowing that there are other levels to conquer.

“It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.” Charles Darwin