Grieving Through Transition - A Reflection
/It’s okay to grieve during transitions, even if they’re happy or “good”. It’s normal to miss your old life even if where you are right now is better. There is a pain in shedding what you’re used to, what’s been a part of you for so long.
The past few years of my life have been filled with some incredible changes: getting married, moving out, switching jobs, finding a church family, and becoming a mom. I feel blessed because these transitions happened smoothly (mostly due to my strong support system) but I‘d be lying if I said that it was easy.
With each new season, I had to work through some complicated emotions: heartache during the first few weeks of marriage due to leaving my parents (the only roof I’ve ever known), fear and anger while returning back to church (from past hurt), loneliness and sadness during pregnancy (during what is portrayed to be the most celebratory time in a woman’s life). Many of these emotions revealed a deeper need for healing, courage, and reflection. Most of them were just normal and part of stepping into new seasons.
It’s impossible to fully enjoy your present without acknowledging the discomfort of releasing old things. It’s so important to ask ourselves “why?” when we feel things that are out of the ordinary. We must do the work of unpacking unknown emotions, swallowing hard truths, and spitting out what’s not ours to keep. Because otherwise, we’ll still be holding onto the things that no longer serve us.
As I embark on this new journey of motherhood, I find myself closing old chapters in my life: the need to fit a certain mold, the need to people-please, the need to chase after barren friendships. It’s an ongoing process. It’s messy and it’s hard but that’s life, and it’s worth it to have it to the full.
