New Beginnings…

“Life is a series of new beginnings.”  This statement rang true for me during a recent conversation with my husband. We were discussing the current season of our marriage as empty nesters and the recent deaths of our mothers. On May 28, 2021, my mother, Margaret G. Baker, passed away. On July 17, 2022, (14 months later) his mother, Dolores M. Alvarado passed away. While our lives are busy with personal pursuits, ministry, and business ventures, being hands-on parents, and active caregivers, has given us a sense of joy and purpose.

There are many symbols for new beginnings that are unique to cultures and religions. In biblical numerology, the number 8 is the day after God completed creation in 7 days. The 8th day represented a new beginning, new order, or new creation. The rainbow is a universal symbol of new beginnings. Rain is often a metaphor for difficult times in our lives. But what often appears as the sun pierces through the residue, is an array of beautiful colors called a rainbow. It represents newness, freshness, and an opportunity to begin again.

The butterfly is another universal symbol for new beginnings. The butterfly evolves from the caterpillar through an amazing process of metamorphosis. It represents the transformation that emerges from struggle, difficulty, growth, and rebirth.

New beginnings are happening all around us. It’s happening every time the sun rises in the morning, or the tide goes out at night. It happens with every rain fall; snow fall or windstorm. It happens with every flower that blooms or tree that dies. New beginnings happens when we decide to seize a moment, take a risk, write a book, start a business, or go back to school.

We experience a new beginning when we marry. We experience new beginnings with the birth of a child. With every graduation, ministry success and business opportunity we experience new beginnings. New beginnings not only accompany the high points in life, but new beginnings also accompany low points, failures, and disappointments.

New beginnings are an integral part of life. It does not always represent major changes such as a new marriage, a new baby, new job, a new city, or death of a loved one. New beginnings can be as simple as a change in attitude or a new way of thinking. A new beginning happens every time we decide to improve on a skill, lose weight, live healthier or become a better version of ourselves.

My husband and I deeply feel the loss of our mothers. But we also acknowledge their passing as a new beginning. Like the silver bark of the Birch tree is used in Celtic culture to make Maypoles for festive celebrations, we take all that our mothers gave into this new beginning…

Dr. Toni