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Transition comes at every moment, every day, every month, every year.  We live by the seconds ticking away.

Tonight I am reliving an event from two years ago, as I watched my husband in his final hours, raving and in pain, waiting for the hospice nurse to arrive to the rescue.  It was Thanksgiving night then, and all that evening, his condition was declining, his pain increasing, his delirium and agitation constant.  I thought those minutes were like hours.  Then a knock on the door, and the nurse was there, and quickly assessed the situation and gently and calmly relieved the pain, got him situated comfortably, and even prayed for him with me.  I thought I had been sent an angel, and I suppose he was just that.  He sat and talked to me as my husband fell into sleep, and we talked of the realities of the next hours ahead.  He reassured me, and prepared me as much as he could before leaving for a 2AM drive back to his own home.  The next day, my husband died.

It was a transition, from one world to the next, and it was one I couldn't accompany him. I had promised to walk with him to the doorway, and I had kept that promise.  One moment here, the next gone.  

It was only the first of many transitions for me. They found me leaving my Georgia life behind me, and beginning a new, unknown future in a place almost 800 miles away. I've had to make new friends, find new art expression, and learn to live alone.  I've had to find a place of peace over the loss of my life companion, and to let him truly rest in peace. I have begun to accept the idea of other companionship,  with a great sense of the reality of life, its brevity and the possibilities of each day. I accept my limitations, and face my fears. I share what I know, encourage those I meet, and believe better things are ahead. 

In this season of thankfulness, I exhort and challenge you to look at your circumstances, your blessings and your curses. If change is needed, face it, embrace it, and make an effort.  If you are surrounded by love and light, share it. Take your step toward a better life, a better moment, a better relationship, a better peace within.   You can do it, I can do it, we all can if we only choose.