Door of Change by Barry Hughes

As I walked today, I came upon this scene in front of a house where, obviously, much is happening. What first captured my attention was the discarded door that still seemed to be trying desperately to stand upright and, well, function as a door.

All the houses in my neighborhood, like this writer, were born in the 1950s. They are modest and solid and have seen much life as they have stood watch over their inhabitants and these tree lined streets. Last year, my neighbors across the street moved to a retirement facility. They had purchased their house new back in the late 1950s, raised a family, retired and enjoyed visits from the children and grandchildren in that same spot for over 60 years. We miss them.

Now the neighborhood is full of young couples starting out. The neighborhood once again resembles the original neighborhood of long ago, filled with babies and toddlers and children rapidly becoming teenagers. And the houses still stand solid, keeping watch.

But, the houses are not completely unchanged. Like the one in the photograph, each family has left their mark, each resident doing an upgrade here and there, each generation fashioning the ever-growing-older house into their unique home. And that takes work. Some of that work looks like demolition. Some of that work demands things be cleaned out. Some of that work involves letting go. Work that moves us forward isn’t always fun or pretty. But it is always worth it.

This picture reminds me that this pile of debris, this stark sign of change piled on the curb, should not be thought of as the end of something, but the beginning. All this that is being left behind is actually the door to the future, the entrance into the “what’s next” for this still solid house. The door might be crooked, it might not be clear where it leads, but a door it is still.

I couldn’t help but think that I have some stuff in my life that needs to be cleared out, that a little demolition might make way for the new in my future. But can I look at such hard work as a door to that bright future instead of only as an end to life as I know it and with which I am comfortable?

Change comes to these houses because they are loved. Change comes because those who love them see their great potential. Change comes because those who love them desire that they be all they can be. And they trust that love enough to make the change.

That’s the way love can bring about change in all things, even us. That’s what love does; love invites us through the door of change Into our future. Will we take the invitation?

Peace.