Have you ever gotten to the end of a chapter in a book or even at the end of that book and just stopped. You needed to absorb what you just read. What just happened. You've either done that because what you just read was so good or because something happened that just stunned you. You needed to sit and absorb it. Think about it. Not think about what would happen next. Just to sit and process what just happened. If you're at the start of another chapter, there might be a hope that there's more to come. Or...there might be grief that you don't want more to come. You wanted the story to stay just like it was. But you know there's more out there to be had. The story was so good that you were able to absorb yourself completely into it. You were a part of it. Those are just the best kind...the ones you get lost in and just can't put down. If that's the end of your book, then so be it. There's not hope for something more. All that was written was all that was intended. However, if it's the end of just a chapter, then the author - who knows the end - intends for you to keep reading. They know there's more to the story and they're not done telling it.

I'm at the end of a chapter in one of my life books. I finished it yesterday. Oh, it was such a good chapter. I got to watch it unfold from the roots and watch it grow and develop into something that was beautiful. Like a tree, it started off unsure of what was going to become of it and in the end, it developed thick, sturdy branches. Each branch connected at the core and - to one degree or another - provided shelter for so many others that just wanted to come a sit beneath it. (Sort of like "the old oak tree" at someone's childhood home.) There are many people that through the years have "read" the same chapter and felt the same way. It was a touching, deeply personal story that I was privileged to be a part of with many wonderful people. It wasn't just "fun" - it was meaningful. It was a chapter that connected with me at a level that many others just are not able to. But...it's over. I was at the end and as much as I didn't want it to end - it did and I couldn't stop it.

So...here I sit at the end of my chapter. Right now, I'm just absorbing. I'll be honest that I'm not ready to move on. I know the Author of my book intends for me to but He and I have talked and He knows that I just need a little time to process. (I'm so glad that He knows that about me.) I don't know what the next chapter holds and right now, I don't want to know. But I'll be forced to start reading here in just a day or two so I'd better get ready quick. I "overheard" a Facebook conversation yesterday that was good for me to hear. Someone said "Every new transition leads us to places we never expected. Walk in confidence." They are right. And although I'm still not able to say that I'm ready for the transition. I will walk in confidence because He walks with me.