Change comes for all of us, often quietly, sometimes abruptly, but always with the undeniable power to reshape our lives. Transitions, whether chosen or unexpected, have a way of nudging us forward, forcing us to reflect on what we leave behind and what we choose to carry with us.
It’s in those moments—when life shifts beneath our feet—that we are given the chance to evaluate, to let go, and to step into something new. And if there’s one constant in all of this, it’s that moving forward always demands a delicate balance of holding on and letting go. Those changes can be bittersweet, especially when they involve that place we call home.
My first home on my own was a small frame house in Grand Rapids, Michigan, which I shared with a friend. It was in the early 1970s, and we were college students, heady with that first taste of independence. The house was on Walnut Street. I still remember how “grownup” we felt having our own place to live.
But all these years later, other than a few books and photographs, only memories remain of that time and place.
Over the years, there would be other homes in other cities. I would share those places and spaces with other people or live alone. Books and photographs continued to travel with me. At some point in my life, other things began to also make the sojourn to the next address. Artwork, collectibles, and even a few furniture pieces have been with me now for many decades. They stay with me because they have come to represent a part of my life in a meaningful way.
Recently, for a special writing project, I chronicled all of the places I have called home. While I have clear memories of some of them, it’s a bit sketchy for others. I was somewhat surprised to realize how many addresses there have been over the nearly 70 years now that, at some point, had my name attached to them. Each of them is part of the imprint of my life. When thinking about this, here is what I know to be true: every time I have moved, I have, in reality, beyond anything packed in boxes, left parts of my life behind and carried parts with me.
If you have ever gone through a move, you will understand this. There is no better time to streamline than when you move. We toss things, give them away, perhaps even have a garage sale or two, and recycle! Some things we carry with us out of need but will later replace with something more suited to our new home. The rest continues on and is put in a new place where we can see it in a new light even as we remember its former glow.
This is how I now understand life overall. With each time and season of my life, I have felt the call to let parts of the old season remain where they are. There is no need to carry them forward. Even who I serve and how I serve them. Going into my new (next) means leaving some of my past (now) behind.
Some of what I take with me will remain only for a while. I find that very comforting and hopeful all at once. Every time and season has its purpose, and another season always follows. What genius God displays in giving us this gift of life to experience as we grow and change.
If you are approaching one of those time junctures in your life, even if the biggest change is for someone else, it is a perfect opportunity to think about this for yourself.
What will stay behind? What will you take with you?
These are good questions for all of us, always, even day by day.
Choose today what you want tomorrow to be.
Keep that. Live that. Live well.
