In Between: Next Chapter

I found myself in between life chapters when my job of 20 years ended last December. Happily, I’m about to begin a new chapter when I start my new job next week.

We leave some things behind when we close one chapter to start a new one. Like a book, some lovable characters, favorite haunts and familiar routines from the previous chapter may not carry forward to the next one. It can feel sad and scary to leave the familiar behind.

But we must close the chapter and move to the next one if we are ever to finish the book.

As my career of two decades drew to its conclusion, I bid farewell to colleagues, volunteers and acquaintances, realizing that many of them would not continue into the next chapter. I gave myself some time to pause and reflect on the end of my job and the end of my organization as I knew it (it was merged into a larger one), to re-read that chapter of my life.

But I am finished with that chapter and ready for the next one to unfold. New characters will be introduced and some old favorites will return. The setting will change and the plot will twist as it follows the mission of my new organization.

So the story will continue.