Reinvention

I seem to have met several people yesterday out of my normal band of acquaintances but there was a common aura and essence surrounding these three people.  In our individual times together, the conversation happened upon the term, "reinvention" of themselves.  I found that intriguing and thus my brain, with all the phone calls, moving around, etc, of yesterday, delved into what "reinvention" means for the human being. 

Reinventing something or someone is a very powerful force.  It relates to taking a normal, functional process, ceasing it thus yanking that process from a zone of established comfort, reordering the components of that process and then rejoining old and new components into a whole new configuration.  That is a very interesting prescription for change!

Today is June 1. Everybody loves June 1 for an array of reasons. For young children, it means the ending of a school year.  Many corporation wait until June 1 to move employees to new location for it seems a natural payroll cut off date to make such a change. Many fiscal years begin this day. New life, new opportunities, new dreams, new adventures; the list could go on and on. 

But today at my house a new chapter is launched that is quite daunting, rather powerful, much hoped for, not fitting into the "normal" convention of our lives so I guess that leads us back to the concept of "reinvention."  See, today is my wife's last day to teach as a lifelong career and adventure.  Yesterday was filled with much recognition and much deserved praise for she is truly a dedicated, God-blessed teacher of young children which she has done all over the world. Today, June 1, will be yet another round of recognition for her by her peers and superiors and by a special surprise joining of we, her family, into that recognition at her school this morning.  She does not do well with surprises but I thought this day was unique and special enough that we, as a family, would enjoy becoming part of the joy of her recognition which is the opening salvo of her own reinvention of herself.

At sixty-four years of age, both of us, we go all the way back to our childhood at age twelve as she was this cute, dark haired sixth grade cheerleader and I was a tall skinny pee wee football player but I still have vivid memories of watching her covertly. We went to different schools but that was the root structure if a later friendship, then dating in high school, the a courtship, then a marriage, then a family, then a career together, then my retirement and thus "reinvention" and now, today, June 1, ends the beginning and begins a new chapter in our lives together as a family.  It is, well, daunting, when I really think about it.

I think the genesis of my blog this day began about 0300 when I awoke and began thinking of this person, this woman, this mother, this grandmother, this teacher, this wife that has journeyed untiringly and unceasingly for now over four decades alongside me. We have seen much joy, much blessing, much experience, much travel, much concern, much hope accomplished and much dashed together; always together. We have been blessed beyond measure. We have so many people we know in so many places around this world.  We enjoy each other; that is a blessing in and of itself but in that enjoyment, the tether is a God we know loves us for who we are individually and corporately.

As this day moves forward with family and friends, smiles and tears, stories and questions about the tomorrows, recognizing the freshness and newness of each new tomorrow does create a sense of excitement and joy with, of course, some reservation about how will it change both our lives. It is a chemical reaction but still, it will trigger a true reinventioning of both individually and as that "one" God sanctioned many years ago but seems only yesterday in so many ways.

So on this day as the strands of our lives are rearranged into something new, my prayer is that the emulsion of the new blend will be potent and powerful in our chosen ministries upon which we are dedicated.  I covet your prayers for the "nouveau Williams" couple for in anything new, the organism must be allowed time to learn, to prepare, to stretch, to test until the newly arranged components reinvent into a new, paradigm shifted being.  Yes, been thinking a great deal about this.

I could not be more proud of Alicia Williams than I am this day.  For those of you that know her, you know what a unique, special person she is. God has a greater plan for her life now I believe in her new invention that He will sanction. It will be fun to watch and to be part of it I know.