The Magic of New Beginnings

Sunset over Ketchikan waterfront with mountains, docks, and calm ocean water.

Life keeps handing me books to close.

Some I finish with care,

others slam shut without warning.

A new career I have chosen to leave.

A father whose legacy now lives in me.

A family business swallowed by the mountain.

Two of my children are already gone,

carving their own stories into the world.

One still lingers here,

but next fall, he too will step forward,

and the house will fall quiet.

It would be easy to call these endings.

To believe the story is shrinking.

But I know better.

Chapters are not endings.

They are invitations.

They are the natural progression of life,

calling us forward into what comes next.

Yes, there is ache,

but there is also wonder.

Because life is alive in me still,

and I get to write the next pages.

The pen is in my hand.

The changes are hard,

but they are also full of promise.

And what if, after all,

happily ever after is real.

And what if I trust the magic of new beginnings.