My husband and I recently found ourselves on our own again. After raising ten children over 40 years, I didn’t see this coming!
We’ve always been a close-knit family, but of course, as the children have grown up, one by one they’ve been moving on. I cried each time, as it felt like a piece of my heart was being torn away.
Now, as I waved goodbye to the “baby” of the family, I wondered What now? How to move on or start a new life? Every change is so difficult. Every time, we have to change our mindset, adopt new habits and new thought patterns.
I asked God why He’d given me all these children only for me to have to give them up. He told me it was my chance to let go and let Him do a new thing in my life.
After thinking and reading about it more, here are some pointers that I found helpful in my journey:
- Remind yourself constantly that it is good that a new season in your life has begun. A new life, a new beginning.
- Expect this change to be positive, not negative.
- Now may be your chance to do some of those things you always wanted to do but couldn’t.
- Start a hobby.
- Finish that project you started, but never completed.
- Study a topic that is interesting to you.
- If you’ve always lived in the shadow of your kids, this may be the time to shine yourself.
- Get out of yourself and help others.
- Share your life experiences with the world through writing a book, starting a blog or a YouTube channel.
- Establish a prayer or Bible study group.
- Join a gym or learn a new sport.
The possibilities are endless!