Transitions 2014

We are several weeks into the year 2014.  Each year brings new challenges, new barriers, new stressors and we seem to have little time to reflect but instead have to look forward to what is ahead of us.  Mom always said that at New Years a quick reflection back, then have a plan for what was ahead-I always wondered how I could have a plan when I didn't know what was going to happen.  She said that your plan should be one that included kindness, patience and a positive attitude!  Transitions come in all sizes and events-transition from middle school to high school, junior varsity to varsity, college or high school into a real job, single to relationships, to parenthood.  But I  think that any plan should be one of transition into new periods of our lives-mom is gone and it has been a difficult transition into life without her.  She had a good plan that made the transition easier but there seems to be those pesky memories that seem to slow the transition down.  But each time we open a box or a trunk we find more unfinished quilts or other projects-Pat found a cross stitch project, had to go buy a new needle and now is hard at work.  I asked her when she was going to finish the quilts, I got the look that "if looks could kill, I would be damaged goods", we have found a local quilt club that we might be able to pass off some of the work.  But I think that to keep the history in place the family needs to complete.

We moved between Christmas and New Years from an apartment into a condo; even though we only moved 2 miles, we still lost those routines and the daily contact with our neighbors in the building.  The transition has not been bad-but we did discover that a move is not something that we can do by ourselves.  Pat has come down with a nasty case of "asthma induced pneumonia" and we are both realizing that the "bounce back" factor doesn't work as well as it used to-another transition?  Sam, the oldest grandchild turned 16, completed driver education and now is a driver; all the other grandkids got a year older, and celebrated transitions in their lives.  Spencer discovered what it is like to have a broken arm, Molly made the transition into being at camp for one week, while Harry discovered three weeks at camp!  Transitions and land marks are important when you are moving into  adolescence.

The View from the Condo

The hardest transition ever to make is the loss of a loved one-mom died in March, a cousin lost her husband this fall, one of my former students lost his mother but the hardest incident was our longest and best friends from college and our early teaching days, lost their son.  There are no transition instructions for how to deal with such a loss.  This young man had so many talents: world class singer, educator, dad, woodworking, gardner, fisherman-and most of all, loved life to the fullest with his story telling, laugh or kindness.  There are no words, or actions that can ease these feelings of loss.

Fly Box made of Cherry  Design And Built by Jeff

Fly Rod Carrier for my 4 Piece Rod Design and Built by Jeff

I don't do the New Year Resolutions any more, why set myself up to do something that I will probably not get done, how about some simple goals like a better organized carving place or getting my fly box filled up while it is cold and dark outside?  How about using my Y membership more?  But most of all I need to keep teaching, whether it be building a box or a bird house at Merrowvista or talking about my decoys at various art shows or simply subbing, helping  the absent teacher to make sure that the students learn something in the school day.

A Camper With His Bird House

Discussing Carving a Shorebird

So there we have it, these transitions can be difficult, almost impossible some times but we also know that we have great resilience, the sun comes up tomorrow and we will persevere.  From those simple tasks to those that seem to over whelm us, will meet those challenges.  An old coach, I think, once said that "things that don't kill us make us stronger" and we know that each day is important and makes us better able to deal with tomorrow! January and February will be gone before we know it, the grass will turn green, flowers will be up, the air will be warm and the streams will be filled with fish.

"Each day, well lived makes yesterday a dream of happiness and tomorrow a vision of hope.  Look therefore to this one day for it, and  it alone is life."

 If you are going to work in wood remember to "measure twice and cut once" or if you are standing in a stream some place, make sure to keep that tight line.  Much peace to all.

Papa Richter