September’s Theme – Change

I was slightly bemused when I saw that Tracie had made change the theme of September’s Blog Carnival Against Child Abuse.

Why, you ask? Because I had been thinking quite a bit about the topic of late. It’s been almost 6 months since I packed what I could fit in my car, and drove from Ohio down to South Carolina to start my new job. At that time, I knew I was going to a better job, in a brand new place, where I didn’t know anyone, and that I’d be apart from my wife for slightly more than 6 months. As I now prepare for her moving down here, looking to get out of my temporary apartment and into a more permanent place to live, I can see that this experience has not only been a big change, but it has changed me as well.

Sure, I knew this move, and the circumstances surrounding it would be a challenge. In fact, I would now say it’s been a bigger challenge than I even imagined at that time. On the other hand, I am so glad that this happened.

Oh sure, I’m glad to be in a better job, living in an area of the country that we had dreamed of moving to for years now. But it’s more than that. This experience has changed who I am in profound ways. It has challenged me to be more independent, and has given me a confidence in myself, and in my marriage, that I would not otherwise have. I now know that when big changes get thrown at me in the future, and they will, I can handle it. I know that if something causes my wife and I to be apart for a time, or our marriage gets some other challenge thrown at us, we’ll hang in there and get through it together.

Maybe the most interesting thing about these past 6 months has been learning how change is a good thing. Even negative changes can be a good thing. As survivors, most of us are fearful of any change, anything that upsets the carefully crafted, and controlled, life we’ve made to keep ourselves safe. Yet, no matter how hard we try, some things will change, and getting through those changes will only help you on your journey. So embrace the small changes, and learn from them. Let them change you.