A week of reflection

This has been a week of reflection. Of endings and beginnings. Of fire and renewal. Of partings and entries. A week of surprises and upsets but at the end of this week and on this Saturday as I reflect, this week has shown me that life is unpredictable, full of trials and tribulations and endings but all to help us to build character, compassion and to learn about the importance of living in the here and now.

It started with my niece entering the Miss Bermuda contest. With all my sister-in-law’s family as well as mine gathering to cheer her on. To see her sweep up the majority of the prizes but not the one she had her eyes set on. But life was showing her that just because you don’t get to your destination, the detour of gaining the other prizes was what she needed more than the title. Disappointment for her but opportunity presenting itself in another way.

On Tuesday lunchtime my husband and I went to the moving up ceremony for our son who just ended his middle years at his school getting ready to enter his senior years. The ceremony was short, sweet and poignant. With part of the ceremony being when their names were called to collect their certificates, their baby picture was shown side by side with their present age photo. Causing many of us to gasp at how quickly time has passed and how much our children have grown. Ending of the middle years. Making way for the beginning of the senior year.

Then on the Tuesday night my brothers and sister and their families along with some of their friends all gathered at my house to celebrate my niece’s victory. An impromptu gathering because my brother and his wife were leaving the next day to go back home to Tennessee. But the gathering ended up better than if we had planned the gathering for weeks. With lots of memories talked about. Lots of beginnings discussed. Showing that sometimes it’s the unplanned that turns into the best plan.

Then on Wednesday of course came the fire, threatening to take away all that we own but was contained before it could take away everything. Yes the fire took away sentimental items that can never be replaced, but it did not take away our family, our love, our togetherness and spirit and neither did it take away our home. We consider ourselves to be the luckiest people in the world because of what could have been but was not. Taking me to my quote of the day that said, “I bless the past with love, take a deep breath, and move gently into the new. “ That’s what the fire has done for me. It has cemented those memories into that deepest recesses of my brain, opening space for me to move into the future with love and gratitude.

My brother and his wife coming to the house before they left to show us support as our yard was still full of firemen and the acrid smell of smoke. They took the photograph of my husband and I standing with the fireman who happened to be my cousin. Their time in Bermuda ending. Their journey back home beginning. Our time with the things in the shed ending and our life without them beginning.

On Thursday my daughter had her prize giving. Marking the end of her time in Year 5. Making way for her to enter her last year of primary school. My husband and I there to watch her take home a prize with pride on her face. Watching her getting ready for next school year to be the amongst the oldest in her primary school.

That evening we went to dinner at Blu to celebrate our children’s end of another school year and to celebrate that we were still together as a family despite the fire. And to celebrate life, renewal, and beginnings. We sat near the window overlooking the harbor. The evening light so magical. Shifting as the sun was setting. Light bouncing off objects almost making things shine bright like diamonds. What a perfect evening we chose to celebrate our endings and beginnings. Watching the majestic sun setting in the west. Casting an image of a 5 sided star on the water. The hues shifting from blue, to red, to orange before the sun slipped below the horizon line. Taking in the beauty of the place we live in. Grateful for seeing before us the ending of the day with such splendor and grace. Allowing us to understand and see endings make way for a new day as the sun slipped away.

On Friday my husband, son and I attended our daughter’s flying up ceremony from Brownies to Guides. Looking at the little ones who were making their pledges to become Brownies and thinking of how quickly time flies by. How it seemed just like yesterday that my daughter was making her Brownie pledge and now she is on her way to becoming a Girl Guide. Jumping the toad stool on her way to Girl Guides.

Life is all about change. About beginnings and endings. About upsets and disappointments. About us learning more and more about ourselves. But also it is about living in the present moment. Being aware of every action we take, every statement we make, every intention we have because we are setting the stage for what is to come and who is to remain in our lives. And for this week of endings and beginnings, upsets and the unexpected, I am truly grateful because I am learning that life moves on regardless of what we are doing and it is up to us to be a part of it, fully present in each moment. Because no two moments are ever the same. With gratitude and reverence, Namaste.