Transitions and Transformations

Transitions and Transformations
Of a Housewife and Family

I remember a time when I was a young mom being told by a kindly old gal “ cherish this moment dear, for nothing ever stays the same and one day you’ll look back and wish you could have it all back.” Recalling that cold spring Saturday morning at the annual horticulture plant sale and standing on the side of the plant tables trying to grab what heritage plants that I had so longed for my new garden, I can still picture vividly the old gal saying those words. I had no one to mind the baby and holding on to my dear little pink bundle in my arms I wished desperately I had four, so I could dig in to the few select plants that I had spotted to acquire.

The tiny white haired lady who was helping with the sale must have read my mind and asked politely if I wanted, she could watch the baby for me until I was done with the picking. I hesitated for a moment and knowing her from around the town; I gladly accepted. This lovely angel’s name was Runa and while she took the baby from my arms she spoke the words that I now reflect back on, “Cherish this moment dear, for nothing ever stays the same”. Yes, she was right, nothing ever stays the same!

It’s been many years later now. My kids are now teenagers, my garden has grown to full bloom, the tiny town that once you would have missed if you had blinked when passing it by, has now grown much larger, replacing the pastoral fields with other young people’s new homes. Even Runa and Jims’ old clapboard house on Main Street in town has now changed. The house now has a new stain glass door welcoming in new friends to the elderly gentleman’s home that lives there now, and the old barn desperately needs some new paint. You see, Runa and Jim they too have changed and have moved on to a lovelier place.

Yes, I believe that the only constant in life is change! Change is at the basis of both growth and destruction. Change can be either a resource or a problem depending upon the choice one makes .With change, transitions and transformation always follow. From the very beginning of our life we have seasons of transitions. Some are tiny but significant all the same like the passing of a grade or learning to ride a bike and then there are the larger transitions such has coming of age, graduation, marriage, parenthood , loss and separation.

Transitions can be very difficult because our familiar surroundings are no longer there and everything has changed .Transitions challenge us and we have to learn quickly to adapt and cope with the new environment while grinning and bearing it. Yes, life here has certainly changed and I might add quite enormously! I now live in a house with two kids and four pets. My husband works far from home and only dwells here for a short time on the weekends. Yes, life sure is different these days!!!

The family portrait now too has changed and is still evolving. Like a caterpillar’s metamorphosis to a beautiful butterfly; us too are personally transforming and growing as individual people with the change that has come about us. Our challenge before us is that we keep our balance and focus and that we support each other as best as we can. There will be rough times ahead but we will certainly always try to view it with a positive eye.

Not long ago I had read an article on “Depth Psychology” by C. G. Jung. The process by which this therapy works is by analyzing our dreams. “Our unconscious contents are brought into our consciousness by working with our dreams, art, journaling and our imagination.” The images in our dreams give us more information about ourselves which in turn our consciousness becomes more in tuned and helps us see a more vivid picture of ourselves. This clearer picture of our self realization helps one to cope better with the transition. These dreams hold precious information from our unconscious and connect us with a deeper part of ourselves.

So now, I shall try to remember my dreams and find meaning in what they may say about my life. I will look closely at what I have written in my journal entries and see what hidden message they might hold and in my artistic creations decipher the message that may be implanted. This shall be a challenge in it self considering I rarely remember much of my dreams but as for journaling and art, I think that can be arranged. Yes, I choose this change to be a transformation of a beautiful kind!

Annabelle