There are some good things about Winter. Cold is not one of them in my book, but
looking on the bright side, I do get to haul out the sweaters, leather coats,
warm blankets, boots and stuff. Then
there’s Thanksgiving. In our family, the
traditional day of thanks for the blessings in our lives is also a planning precursor
for the bigger event to come - the celebration of Christmas, also a wonderful
Winter occasion. And, in addition to
Jesus’ birthday, there is my own birthday; however, I’m pretty sure God was pulling
a joke the day He created me so very cold-natured that 90 degrees seems quite comfortable,
then He brought me into the world in January.
Hilarious. So, that means I have
to make it through the Winter if I want to have a birthday each year. Mmmmm, maybe I have stumbled onto a new way
to stop turning older - I just ignore Winter!
This could be a brilliant plan, except that I married my darling other
half in the month of February, so that celebration that would also go away with
the banishment of Winter and I’d hate that.
Not that the sweet man knows when we were married, or the date of my birthday
for that matter, but come about July, he might wonder if he had missed something. Anyway, January is National Stalking Awareness
Month, and having experienced the stalker-type myself, I find that fairly
significant, so I guess Winter’s existence is somewhat validated.
Really, the most valuable opportunity Winter
brings, as with all new seasons, is change.
The thought makes me dance around the room pretending I’m a 1980’s David
Bowie shrieking “Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!” Then
I get serious again, and the seasonal revolution takes hold, inspiring me to contemplate new beginnings while trying to thaw out. A friend of mine recently had a huge change
in his life, giving up a high position of power in the fast-paced political arena
to take on a very different but extraordinary one-shot career opportunity and also to enjoy
the new generations in his family. Instead of calling it something like retirement,
he referred to it as “turning a page” in life, and I was struck by that
phrase. It evokes a butterflies-in-the-tummy
kind of giddiness that new experiences and uncharted pathways are ahead. Mostly, it reinforces the notion that change
is a good thing; and it is exactly that attitude which personifies a Leap of Faith. I get warmed up just thinking that way.
Life tosses out changes in all sizes and
shapes. Leaving kindergarten and going
to the big grade school. Breaking up and
never, ever getting back together. Cleaning
out a closet or a home. Starting a new
job or career or lifestyle. The passing of
a loved one. Some changes are chosen,
some come as a surprise. Change can be awkward,
exhilarating, confusing, encouraging, unpredictable, liberating. Leaping into it can be downright terrifying.
My Baby Sister gave me a copy of the book The
Prayer of Jabez, which our Mom had given to her. Like the lawyer that I am, I analyzed the Old
Testament passage thoroughly, especially the “Oh that you would bless me, and
enlarge my territory” part. Now, I have come to realize that, in order to petition
that prayer earnestly from the bottom of my heart, I have to request the blessing
without reserve in every sense. Territory
might be occupational, it may be spiritual, or it could be basic geography. You may never know which of your territories
are to be enlarged until suddenly your life is transformed. That prayer, my friends, is a true Leap of Faith.
So, I welcome change with the assurance that
good things will come with it, just like with Winter. And I realize that as life evolves and it is the
world around us that changes, if I remain loyal to myself, stick to my core beliefs and
trust my inner convictions, that is the real essence of taking a Leap of Faith.
