The journey has been one of ups and downs since starting this blog. Footsteps was created as a tool to discuss living with and caring for aging parents. You were there at the beginning when I shared with you the challenge of "taking" the keys from Mom to my struggles with sadness after her death. Footsteps has helped me connect with kindred souls who were walking the same journey and I am grateful.
Over the last couple of months my thoughts have moved from the specifics of caring for aging parents to the how-tos of transitioning from one season of life to another. Over the course of my lifetime there have been multiple transition points. I transitioned from high school to college, from single life to married life and back again. One of the biggest transitions in my life was into motherhood and while I will always be a mother, I am no longer responsible for the day-to-day care of my children. I'm sure you could list a dozen more as could I but now I'm contemplating and reflecting on how to transition from one state of being to another in a positive and productive fashion without the fear and hesitation that sometimes surrounds change.
Due to the positive response to Footsteps, I have been thinking about how to build community. The virtual communities of Footsteps and Facebook have been a positive force in my life but I'm talking about face-to-face, multi-generational and multi-interest groups that have an emotional and physical effect on our lives. How do you meet people of similar interest? How do you care for those in our community who need help in a dignified way? How do I become part of a community that gives as much as it takes? How do we honor our differences and create a loving community based on understanding and respect?
Some people are Specialist I am a Generalist. I am jazzed when engaged in learning about and exploring new and different subjects and ideas. I won't stop blogging about my parents and their end of life journey but you will find I will be expanding the conversation to include how to transition to the next season of life. I want to explore how to embrace the life that you have and how to take advantages of the opportunities that are available to you. I hope you want to come along and see where it takes us.
On a side note, I really do want to hear your thoughts and ideas I also know leaving a comment is a little more cumbersome than in the past. The spammers were clogging the site with every conceivable advertisement for sunglasses, designer stuff and technology gimmick you could imagine. To keep them off, we had to add another layer of identification. Please don't let that keep you from engaging in the conversation!
Until next time...
Hugs,
C