I have met many people who dislike or distrust change, especially since moving to England!
I have never been one of those people, which I believe I owe entirely to my international upbringing. When you grow up with change – with people moving and leaving, new starts, new people, foreign languages, and so much more – as a normal part of your everyday life, you tend to be able to see the good in it.
Of course, not all changes are in and of themselves good or easy. Many are very difficult, painful, scary. But thanks to the blessed position I was in while growing up, I have learned to see even these changes as “new beginnings”. The change itself is sometimes exciting, sometimes devastating, but it always offers an opportunity – for growth, for choosing joy, for generosity, for seeing the best in people and situations, for optimism, for faith, for life.
There have been many big changes in my life, particularly in the last 4 years. At the end of this month in 2010, I had my last session of chemotherapy treatment for a big change that was heartbreaking, yet gave me new maturity and faith. Almost exactly a year later, I graduated from university and started dating the man who would later become my husband. In 2012, I got married. This summer, we expect our first child.
There have been many other changes, including many smaller changes along the way. Those are the ones that have affected how I deal with the bigger changes. After all, the little everyday things matter, too. They are what makes up the majority of our lives, of the spaces in between the big changes.
It’s amazing the changes a few years can bring about. Changes you never expect. Some good, some bad.
But all opportunities. All new beginnings.
So today I am thankful for the changes that have made me who I am. Even if they were not all pleasant, I know I would be a very different person with a very different life without them.
