When a happy time of life comes to an end it is hard, plain and simple.  Tomorrow I will be attending my daughter Ashley’s High School Graduation. It is a major life event for a young person.  Ashley had an amazing High School experience. She was surrounded by good friends and she chose to be very involved at her school.  Because of that it has caused her to feel very sad at the thought of High School ending.  She recognizes that a major part of her life is coming to an end. But what I want to remind her with my blog today is that “every new beginning comes from some other beginnings end.”  Without having High School come to an end, she couldn’t go on to the beginning of College and all the amazing experiences that are yet to come in her life.

The same principle applies to all of us.  Life is full of hard times that we can’t wait to have come to an end, but it is also full of good times that we wish would never end.  And facing the end of a good time can be really rough for us because it is hard to let go when we didn’t want to.

Here are two quotes that put letting go and moving forward into perspective:

“You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the last one.”

And

“There are far better things ahead than anything we leave behind.”  -CS Lewis

The best is yet to come for Ashley just as the best is yet to come for every one of us.  And when one chapter ends we can’t look at it as the end of our book…we must remember it is just a chapter…and the best chapter is still ahead and it is marvelous! So don’t focus on missing the past…rather look ahead to the future with excitement and hope for all that is to come.

Each day we are given is a gift.  What we do with each day is a choice.  Never let yourself waste it by looking back with sadness.  I love Dr. Seuss’s words:  “Don’t be sad because it’s over, smile because it happened.”  So smile for the great times you have just had and look forward to the brightest future ever!

Happy Graduation to Ashley! I am proud of her!  And congratulations to all of you graduates out there reading this blog.  I am proud of all of you too 🙂

~Amy