New Chapters by Barry Hughes

On this day I came across a most interesting scene. These three little beds, lined up straight and proper at the curb, seemed to be waiting for the night to fall once again. Though so completely out of place, there was something comfortable and natural about the moment. I stopped and took in the unusual sight.

I have talked to enough parents across the years of my work to know that this scene was a bittersweet moment in this family’s life. These three little beds mark the passage of time. They represent little kids that are now big kids. These beds would no doubt be kept forever if there was room in the garage or attic because of the memories they hold and the tender moments shared among them.

I remembered my own childhood spent sharing a room with my older brother. We could mark our growing up by the bed in our room. When very small, we slept in a double bed. When older, we had two twin beds. Older still, bunk beds, which were my favorite. I slept up top. (I loved the little ladder.)

These little beds and the milestone they mark appeared at the curb in the same week young people were graduating from high school and college. They appeared the same week that teachers everywhere were finishing up a school year that, for both student and teacher, mark a significant passage of time. They appeared as the new season of summer begins. Life is moving forward all around us.

It is okay to embrace this movement forward with bittersweetness. It is a gift to have memories so wonderful that we would wish to stay in that moment forever. To experience grief in the midst of loss is a reminder of how deeply we have loved and been loved. To fully cherish what was beautiful in our past can strengthen and sustain us in the future.

But we are always moving forward. There is no stopping the passage of time. We should embrace the future as well as the past. The three little beds mark the passage of time; not just the end of a precious chapter in the story of those lives, but also the beginning of a new chapter in their story.

Who knows? What lies ahead might hold joy and beauty beyond our wildest dreams. We can know only through the passage of time.

Peace.