There is no ending without a beginning . . . and thank heavens for beginnings.

Thank you to my cousin, D., whose phone call this past Sunday afternoon was perfectly timed. I had been sitting outside in the late afternoon sun reading a book and contemplating the notion that I feel like my Monday letter-writing is coming to an end. This felt distinctly like a realization and not so much a decision. I even felt a bit surprised by it.

As we caught up on news of the family, everyone’s health, and all the usual questions – including my own that I was just acknowledging – I began to notice that all the things we were talking about began organically and, when left alone to follow their natural course or cycle, will come to a natural end. But we humans like things just the way they are (even when things aren’t so great, at least we know the routine!). We know our part and what is expected of us. So when things like natural endings loom, we interfere, getting in the way with big feelings of regret or restraint or refusal, and then the course becomes difficult to navigate.

Being merely mortal, perhaps we have a built-in limitation that blinds us to these natural cycles of life. When we get too controlling, when we think we are in sole and complete charge of making the decisions about when something begins and ends, that's where we get into trouble. Or, we might start second-guessing ourselves when the natural rhythm nudges us, becoming imminent, and we think, “No, no. Something’s wrong. This isn’t the time for that.”

So, what to do? Recognize that you are in a cycle and that cycles are natural and normal. Everything is part of a cycle – the grand things in life and the small. Everything that begins has an end, and we are simply in the flow. Yes, we have some control – for sure! We make choices, we direct ourselves to one path or another. We can steer through the flow but we do not control the flow. Developing and improving the ability to reduce our resistance and our need to control while being in the flow can save us much heartache and pain. Developing and improving the ability to appreciate the gifts given to us while we are in the flow makes us see that every ending is integral and necessary to the grace of it all.

Thank you, cousin D. You are an angel whose call came just when I needed it.