My Journey to Restoration

Black Swallowtail Butterfly: A shining example of transformation!

One important lesson that I have learned over the years is that this journey called life is full of many twists and turns.  Some of these lead to exciting life changing experiences that I have anticipated for years, such as my recent retirement, while others are ones that I could have done without, such as Mom’s death and the loss of other very important people in my life.  Like it or not, life is full of many changes, and it is up to me as to how I am going to let these changes define me. 

      Indeed, the loss of my mother/best friend to cancer was a significant turning point in my life.  What I would not give to have just one more day with her.  Then again, I would not want to give her up again plus I would not want to lose all of the spiritual growth that I have gone through since her passing.  I could not imagine going on without her in my life, and yet, here I am over 30 years after her passing.  I still miss her every day and always will, but I have no doubt that the reason I am an even stronger person after her passing is partly due to the strong foundation of faith and love that she helped to instill in me over the years.

     There was a big void in my soul after Mom’s passing so I decided to start a creative writing business that would honor her memory by helping others celebrate the special loved ones in their lives.  I chose the name “Inspirational Sunsets Creative Writings” because I wanted to express how the sunset of Mom’s passing led to a beautiful new phase of my life.  While the sunset of losing Mom led to one of the saddest periods of my life, I also want others to see that I am just like the beautiful colors left behind in the western sky after a sunset and am a reflection of the love and kindness that she shared with me in this world.

     While I continue to write to honor Mom’s memory to some extent, I have also fallen into the enemy’s trap of thinking that my God-given gift of writing is not a significant one so I do not write as much as I should.  Yet, I know deep down in my heart that I am meant to brighten my little corner of this dark and dreary world with my own unique glimmer of hope through my writings, and my gift of extra time now that I am retired will help me accomplish that important mission. 

     I often feel like God speaks to me through nature, music, and signs that He sends me in various other ways.  I recently read a devotional that suggested I choose a word to define my focus for the coming months, and the word “Restore” came to mind. Then I saw a church sign that read “Reflect, renew, revive,” and I could not help but feel like that message was meant just for me.

     Please join me on my journey to restoration as I paddle off into the sunset of retirement and share some thoughts about how to reflect, renew, and revive my spirit and my God-given dream.  As my beautiful Black Swallowtail friend reminds me, change can be a beautiful thing.  “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come.  The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV).  Never forget that hope springs eternal, no matter what sunsets you may face in life!  Inspirational Sunsets…because every sunset leads to a beautiful new day!    

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