Darling Letters: The Grace to Start Anew

Recently, I walked into the leasing office of an apartment complex and the employee handed me a set of keys. I found my building. Then, I walked up one flight of stairs to my unit, took a deep breath and unlocked the door. 

I had not expected the living room to be carpeted or the kitchen cabinets to be so brown. Yet, as I looked around, I knew that the only thing that mattered about this unit was that it was going to be my new home.

To me, fall has always signified a fresh start. When I was a student, it meant new books, school supplies and studying assignment sheets to try to decipher the difficulty of each of my classes. What I learned this year, however, is that fresh starts are not always something that we choose. Walking into an empty, second-story apartment in central Texas was not part of my plan, but I learned to accept it and be grateful. The change of plans did not destroy me.

Fresh starts are not always something that we choose.

This fall, whether you are beginning a new school year or in the throes of motherhood or, like me, working a job to pay the bills for the second-story apartment, let’s remember the healing that comes through accepting our circumstances with grace. Let’s look forward to the future with hope. 

I learned to accept it and be grateful. The change of plans did not destroy me.

With love, 
Emily Lee, the Darling family

Think back to a time when you struggled with change. What emotion did the change trigger? What has helped you to learn to embrace change?

Image via Raisa Zwart Photography