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December 2, 2005 Marty Norman [previously “To Blog or not to Blog”] Breathing Life Upon the Generation When Gail first invited me to become a contributor to the SEASONED WOMAN’S NETWORK, I wasn’t exactly sure how I fit in with her readership. I guess I am seasoned, a fact that cannot be denied since last March I celebrated my 60th year, but as best I can tell, she and I are pretty much opposite on most fronts. My portfolio reads: married - 38 years, housewife, red-state southerner, conservative, traditionalist, therapist – though currently not practicing, country and western enthusiast, Christian – boldly proclaiming God, country and family. And then it hit me. Perhaps I am not so unlike Gail after all. We are both women. We both love who we are and we both love our lives. The choices we have made are ours, but most importantly, we have mutual respect for one another, as well as our choices. I can say without hesitation that I love what I am doing. I look forward to getting up each day to see what the world has to offer. I love being a wife and mother, but most of all I love being a grandmother! If that’s not seasoned, I don’t know what is! Currently I am in the process of writing a book about Grandmothers. One of the chapters is about the cycle of life. To best understand me and my blog, I have adapted excerpts from these pages so that you will better know what to expect from me. Life is full of seasons. But I have noticed that one thing is constant. If one lives long enough, life has a funny way of coming around again and again. Things begin to recycle as they move into various stages of completion. There is a circular motion – a time and season for all generations. As a seasoned woman, I am blessed to be a witness to such cycles. If I open my eyes, if I listen with my ears and my heart, I become aware of the divine appointments in life that bring healing and wholeness to families. Who can explain such things? Time and again, through my experience as a therapist, I have seen healing and resolution occurring in the latter years. Because of these observations, I decided a few years ago that I wanted to be an agent of healing. I vowed to allow the cycle of life to regenerate with, through and around me as my own life begins the final healing process. I want to be an effective healer in my family. I want to deal with my own issues as they resurface and beg to be healed. I want to come into my own fullness. It is as it should be. It is as God intended. We are born … we live … we die. Yet in between these stages there is a plethora of life experience, life lessons, moments of truth and divine appointments. Seasons. A cycle of life that begs to be lived. Currently I find myself in the season of fall - three fourths of the way around the circle. I love fall. The air is crisp and fresh. The leaves dance with light. The colors are unique, perfect in their beauty. Days are shorter - the sunsets are magnificent. The October sky is as clear and blue and perfect as any other season. The pronouncement of winter is approaching, but has not yet arrived. It is a good time. It is a good season. This is me. I like to think that I dance with light. That I shine with all the colors in my possession; that I radiate and reflect that which I have come to be and believe. I hope that I am still crisp and fresh – a breath of fresh air to those who are weary from the heat of summer. I like to believe that I am clear in my thinking, that my colors are clarifying themselves in my behavior. I hope that as my sun begins to set, I reflect the clouds around me, accentuating all the colors of the rainbow. I hope that I am a breath of freshness to the eyes of the beholder. I like to think that although my leaves are falling, I offer a multitude of options. Yes, I like that I am in the fall of my life. I hope I can take advantage of the opportunities that are placed before me to prepare for winter, but I also desire to breathe life into the coming spring. I look forward to times with my grandchildren; of whispering with them quietly in the night of spaceships and circuses. Of building make believe houses of sheets and soft pillows. I look forward to time with my adult childen. Of celebrating their joys, sharing their sorrows and cheering their accomplishments. I am excited about watching them become that which they were created to be. I look forward to continuing making memories with my friends. Of sharing the tapestry that we have spent so many years weaving together in the fabric of our lives. Yes, I like fall. I like the symmetry of life. I like being in a place where I affect life. I like the times and seasons. I like that I am breathing life upon the generations. I hope my children and grandchildren will someday say this was my finest season. To be or not to be – that is the question. To be seasoned - that is the solution. What a blessing for me to be able to share my world with other seasoned pilgrims, respecting each other’s choices, celebrating life, grieving our losses, yet joining together in this glorious season of life. I am privileged and honored to be invited into your world as we share this journey together. |