School is getting out this week in my neighborhood, and this season of graduations makes me reflect on how much has changed since our youngest left home. During most of this school year, I have wondered why all the years of dedication and effort in raising my family needed to end with these hollow feelings. Recently, I decided to challenge my negative thoughts about the “empty nest.”
For instance, what if my current situation isn’t a sign that I did something wrong?
What if the quiet things I am doing now are essential, and not just filler?
What if this season is actually a gift?
What if I look at this time of transition less like an airport and more like a plane in flight?
What if my small achievements are actually big?
What if I choose to trust the process?
I begin to understand that I’m exactly where I should be. As summer arrives, I’m ready to graduate to a new kind of thinking, and move away from the hollow spaces I’ve inhabited so long.