Endings are also Beginnings

By Rona S. Bartelstone, LCSW, MSW, CMC, Senior Vice President of Care Management, SeniorBridge

With the New Year comes new possibilities and opportunities to start again.

The year-end can be a time of loss and mourning for all we had anticipated would occur from January to December. This is a feeling that is reinforced by the short days, the cold temperatures and the seasonal tendency to hibernate.

Yet we know that the end of the year is quickly followed by all the hope and newness that arrives with a new year. Turning possibilities into probabilities starts with staying in the now and projecting into the future.

This may explain why many elders love to be around babies. Innocent, open vessels into which all of the potential of the future flows, babies can offer hope and continuity that can lift sadness or loss felt with endings and inspire anticipation for what lies ahead.

Because endings and beginnings are often messy affairs fraught with contradictory emotions – excitement with fear, grief with relief, anticipation with sorrow, loss with appreciation - the ability to handle these challenges is often referred to as "grace under fire." However, what seems balanced and agile to the outside world is very often not considered as "graceful" by the individuals experiencing the challenge from within.

As we get older, time becomes more precious, and we examine priorities and choices ever more closely. That is what we often do when another year ends by planning to make the new year better than the previous one. Ultimately we plan for making changes that will enable us to live the dream of what our lives could truly be.

That is why it's important for families and friends to rally round at the year-end/year-beginning to encourage elders with all of the possibilities.

We are sending you year-beginning wishes for all that is truly possible:
For peace.
For health.
For joy.
For prosperity of spirit and soul.
For family and friends.
For Happy Holidays and all the best in the New Year.