Endings

I've been thinking a lot about endings the last several weeks. My dad's life on earth ended five years ago on April 29. A recent tragic accident claimed the life of someone I met only briefly. And last Saturday a woman I have known for fifteen years died after a long illness. Endings are inevitable. They can be sad and full of loss, but they can also be joyful and filled with promise.

I had fifteen seniors in my high school choir this year and, as of May 12, their high school careers ended. Twelve of the fifteen posed for the picture included in this post. These young people are a very special group and I have so enjoyed the time I was blessed to spend with them. I will definitely feel a loss without seeing them every day and without hearing their beautiful voices raised in song. But this ending is joyful along with an inescapable sadness and sense of loss. What promise these young lives have!!

All these endings that have touched my life in some way have underscored something I have always believed: life should be lived to its fullest. That isn't to say that we should spend every waking hour in ceaseless activity. Rest is a part of life, too. What we should do is savor every moment regardless of what we are doing. Our life is such a precious gift and we should treat it as such. We should actively seek joy and look for the promise of the future even in the face of endings. After all, every ending is a new beginning.