***My “new” experience of the Grand Tetons!***

Something old, something new…something adventurous, something new. Hmmm….that does not sound quite right, but it is clever, is it not?

When I think of something old, I think of things that were a part of my life, such as pictures, places I visited as a child, games I played with my kids. Then I might think of not so nice, old things like insecurities I have suffered, anxiety attacks that come when they want to, fear of an unknown future, losing my spouse of many years to death.

What is something old that you can share?

But for today, I think what presses my mind the most since we went to live in a RV fulltime and travel, was the transition to come into this lifestyle. It was ever so difficult. Selling the moderate house we owned, selling furniture or giving it away (memories with those), and especially the kids leaving the nest. That, my friend, was something I never thought I would go through until that moment.

Do you know what it feels like to give up something old, like a treasured memory, something that gave you purpose, meaning in life?

We planned this lifestyle for a long time and really, could not wait to get into it. But I did not realize the emotions I would go through, saying goodbye to the old and welcoming the new.

I think I had one foot in the past and one in the present, but that present foot was dangling over the past, desiring to step back into what was comfortable, familiar and easy.

When it is time for a change, even a change that we are excited about, a change that has all the boxes checked off and ready to embrace, it may not be the change we expected nor desired. Fear may set in and try to convince you this change is wrong, This is when we need to press forward, to the “something new” and not to be afraid. It takes courage and time to do this.

But when you start embracing the “new” something happens. You realize you had to go through the hard stuff to get to the new. Sure, it would have been easier to skip over the hard stuff and jump right where it gets good, and it can get good. God has given you a place and a purpose in his kingdom, he made you for value and reason, to learn to step away from the “old” and into the “new.”

When I started accepting the fact that I could not have my old life back, my kids living with us, and especially the family dog, Daisy (she lives with my daughter), I realized that this is where God wants me to be. It is not glamourous to live in a RV fulltime as it can get messy, cluttered and annoying, especially living with your spouse in a new space, a very small space. I had to go through the hard times of saying goodbye to my old way of life, adventuring with my retired husband in a new type of lifestyle.

I think God wants us to be daring, daring to live a life full of adventure, new things to discover, new horizons to seek. I understand we like to hold onto things that are near and dear to us, maybe even cling onto them with a sense of hope, but what if God wants you to go somewhere else? Would you do that?

Letting go and letting God do a wonder in us through changing from the old and into the new can be an exciting journey, full of twists and turns, but you will always land with both feet.

So, when you think of something old, something new, think of what God will do in and through you, and especially, God will be with you during the journey.

Are you ready to start something new?