Life is Full of Stages...Which One Are You In?

Life is full of stages. Everyone is at a different stage in life. Some in the beginnings while others are in the end. Some are somewhere in the middle like me. Today, I reflect on several of those stages.

This morning as I was leaving church, I look down at my phone and see a calendar reminder that it is the birthday of my beloved boss, Roy, who passed away last fall. It sort of took my breath for a moment and broke my heart a little more. He reached the end stage of life much sooner and quicker than anyone who knew him would believe.

This afternoon, as the five members of our family head to town in one car (a rare occasion these days), we decide to let our youngest, Jessica, have a driving lesson. She passed her permit test last fall and has driven less than a handful of times mainly due to hardly ever riding with her parents. This is our third and final child to learn to drive. As she enters a new stage of life to learn this new skill, her parents enter a new stage also. Within a short time, with little moments already, we will be empty-nesters. Our children will soon be adults out in the big world.

After this nervous drive to town, James and I attended a visitation for a well-respected, much loved woman. She was 94. Her daughter said, “She sat down in her favorite chair, read the newspaper and went to sleep. That’s a wonderful death, and I know now she’s with dad. That gives me peace.” She had had a long, fulfilling life. While her family and friends say goodbye to her, those same family and friends welcome her 25^th great-grandchild into the world. Here is another reminder to the circle of life, and its stages.

Then, we went to our church’s family Easter egg hunt and family dinner. While I am well beyond the stage of having children who hunt eggs, it is such a joy to share the event with those who have little ones having such fun. I must admit I giggle a bit listening to young parents coax their children to eat more real food rather than cookies, or even eat at all rather than play. Watching them chase the littles to keep them off the food table or trash can reminds me of how quickly those stages pass away. I remarked that I was now closer to grandchildren than babies of my own. Why does it seem like it was just yesterday that I was in that stage?

Life is definitely full of stages. Some come faster than others. We can dread them and worry incessantly about them, or we can choose to embrace them. We can praise God through the storms and rejoice in the sun (Son). If we believe that Christ is with us through everything, we can face tomorrow with hope and joy. I dare not say we won’t have nail-biting times (remember we are teaching the third child to drive) or we won’t have to say goodbye to someone special. I do say that life will continue to go on and we will have more stages to experience. Bring it on!!