Tweet

Viewpoint: New chapters and doors

By JANE DENNIS

It was inevitable, I guess, and bound to happen. But I’m not sure I’m ready for it.

Colleges. My high school sophomore daughter has begun to think about, read about and talk about colleges.

Wasn’t it just yesterday that she was clutching her beloved blankie ... wheeling down the driveway on a tricycle ... starting kindergarten ... learning to read?

I want to just say, “No more birthdays! No more growing up. I want my baby back!” But those days are long gone. At 16, we’re now all about friends (yes, even boys!), phones, Facebook, driving (independence!), when do these braces come off, what to do on the weekend, and now, where will I go to college, followed by what do I want to be when I grow up?

I vividly remember my first day of college, when my parents caravanned with me, headed to a good ol’ Southern college town in another state, vehicles loaded to the hilt, and even with my best friend from high school who was a year younger in tow — a painful reminder that my life was changing but she got to go back to the comfortable, familiar confines of high school.

After everything was moved in and I was sufficiently settled in my dorm room, we stood around and talked for as long as we possibly could, delaying the inevitable farewells. To this day I can remember that feeling, that aching in the pit of my stomach as I watched them drive away and disappear. It was a combination of scary sadness and excitement. I was truly sad that one chapter of my life had closed. Yet, I was excited to be facing a whole new world of unknown and limitlesspossibilities.

God opens doors with each new chapter of our lives. The challenge is what we do and how we respond to the opportunities that lie on the other side of that door.

[Jane Dennis has served as editor of the Arkansas United Methodist since 1988. She can be reached at jdennis@arumc.org]

Tweet