This time of year brings a lot of excitement with a vast array of new beginnings occurring all across the country. There are many religious rituals during the spring to mark transitions in life. This includes, but is not limited to, the Sacraments of First Communion, Confirmation, and of course, the Sacrament of Matrimony. Graduations, whether they are from elementary school, high school, college, university, technical schools, or other specialized institutions definitely launch people into new beginnings. These milestones in life certainly fill us with renewed hope and expectation.
One of the most profound new beginnings at the present moment is probably for the three young women and the little girl who escaped from their captors in Cleveland. I can’t even imagine what it must have been like to live as a captive under those circumstances for over a decade. Although there will be an immense amount of emotional healing that will need to take place, what a joy it is for these young women to have an opportunity for a new beginning after so many years of their lives have been unjustly taken from them!
What do we do with new beginnings? How do we most effectively use the gifts and opportunities that God gives to us to grow in deeper relationship? How does a milestone in life help us grow in wisdom and in grace?
I can still remember the idealism that I had when moving through some of these significant stages of life. There are times when I wish I could recapture some of that youthful idealism and zest for life instead of allowing the burdens, difficulties, and challenges of adulthood weigh down upon my spirit. How do we maintain vigor and vitality in life while dealing with all of those things that are seemingly striving to drain of us of every ounce of energy and passion? It is the virtue of hope that gives us the stamina to keep moving forward.
Those young women in Cleveland have sent a clear message about the power of hope. If they could hold on to hope for over a decade in such dire circumstances, hope should be a plentiful commodity for the rest of us who generally find ourselves in more amiable circumstances on a day-to-day basis.
Congratulations and blessings to the young women in Cleveland and to all who are experiencing new beginnings in one way or another during these days of spring. May new life permeate every fiber of your being as you grow in wisdom, grace, and holiness!
I think it is time to stop and smell the flowers!
One of the most profound new beginnings at the present moment is probably for the three young women and the little girl who escaped from their captors in Cleveland. I can’t even imagine what it must have been like to live as a captive under those circumstances for over a decade. Although there will be an immense amount of emotional healing that will need to take place, what a joy it is for these young women to have an opportunity for a new beginning after so many years of their lives have been unjustly taken from them!
What do we do with new beginnings? How do we most effectively use the gifts and opportunities that God gives to us to grow in deeper relationship? How does a milestone in life help us grow in wisdom and in grace?
I can still remember the idealism that I had when moving through some of these significant stages of life. There are times when I wish I could recapture some of that youthful idealism and zest for life instead of allowing the burdens, difficulties, and challenges of adulthood weigh down upon my spirit. How do we maintain vigor and vitality in life while dealing with all of those things that are seemingly striving to drain of us of every ounce of energy and passion? It is the virtue of hope that gives us the stamina to keep moving forward.
Those young women in Cleveland have sent a clear message about the power of hope. If they could hold on to hope for over a decade in such dire circumstances, hope should be a plentiful commodity for the rest of us who generally find ourselves in more amiable circumstances on a day-to-day basis.
Congratulations and blessings to the young women in Cleveland and to all who are experiencing new beginnings in one way or another during these days of spring. May new life permeate every fiber of your being as you grow in wisdom, grace, and holiness!
I think it is time to stop and smell the flowers!
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