Hello everyone! It looks as if most of you are here so I would like to go ahead and get started. Thank you for gathering on such short notice. We have an important topic that we need to discuss today.
I believe each of you have at least met one another previously however time has passed and a few of you have changed since the last time we worked together. Let’s take a couple go around the room and state your name.
Joy. Regret. Fear. Anxiety. Anticipation. Sadness. Insecurity. Sorrow. Grief. Hope. Faith. Stress. Confusion. Anger. Excitement. Happiness. Loss. Depression. Guilt. Acceptance. Irritability. Ambivalence. Moodiness. Frustration. Resentment. Loneliness. Bravery. Doubt. Love. Curiousity. Nostalgia. Courage. Memory. Peace.
Thank you. Who do we have sitting in the corner over there? Gratitude. Oh good, I am so glad you are here. Will you come join the rest of us in the circle? You are a very important part of this.
The purpose of this gathering today is to give you the most recent update on our host and to remind you of your unique role. It looks like we have representatives from each of the vital areas present: the mind, the heart, and the body. I cannot stress to you enough the importance that each of you knows and believes you belong here and that you are necessary for this project.
As you recall, the setting for our story for the last six years has been a city in the southwest region of Michigan. This eclectic location, close to Lake Michigan, has provided a lovely backdrop for every season and story experienced during the time that our characters have lived here. The primary characters include our host, her husband, and their two children.
Their family has been made during their time here, and they know a little bit more of who they are and what they are about now. During the last few years, the challenges and obstacles have multiplied. Our host and her husband have grown in recognizing their need for family and respite which leads us to the next turn in the plot, a location change.
Sometime this summer, our setting will move back to south, central Texas, our host’s hometown. Stress, Anxiety, Insecurity, Anticipation, Hope, and Ambivalence, each of you have been obviously present recently as you are intimately walking with our host while she and her husband are applying for jobs that will need to be in place to facilitate their journey back. Each of you have seamlessly taken your place as the primary emotion and then stepped back when it is time for another one to fill the space within our host.
As the time in Michigan comes to a close, I have noticed Regret and Anger highlighting all of the missed opportunities and experiences due to financial resources and family dynamics. Nostalgia and Memory, you are walking nearby recalling weekend excursions, holidays, and the unique richness each season has held. There has been grounding and fortitude as Acceptance and Curiosity continue to shift and readjust to every unexpected turn in the road. Sadness and Love, the way that you are dancing together is captivating especially as you create tears which seem to be accompanying every goodbye.
Depression and Fear, you creep along with her thoughts about starting over with all the specialized support each child requires. These thoughts appear to be uniting mind and body in ways that feel crippling and exhausting at times, and that is okay.
Bravery, Courage, Faith, and Hope, you are creating a spectacularly strong springboard that continues to catch and rebound our host back into this great adventure and it is because of you that she is able to walk forward, day by day.
Sorrow and Grief, your time is coming. Be waiting offstage for the moments that are so very close to her heart. Your arrival will accompany packing up her home, leaving her job, and saying goodbye to some of the most precious friends that have ever touched her soul.
Gratitude, thank you for remaining constant despite numerous assaults. You have bred joy and celebration in this most difficult season of life.
This woman is living whole-heartedly and there are days when many of you are called to engage and you feel like too much for her. In these moments you notice her isolated and often weeping. Other days, she doesn’t know exactly what she is feeling and Moodiness, Irritability, and Resentment sneak in also leaving her isolated and alone for a time. During these times, she sometimes will curse you or scream at you, try not to take it personally. The hope is that eventually sweet Peace will fill her days again in surprisingly unexpected ways.
Bethany Cabell is a Texas transplant, residing in Michigan with her husband and their two young boys. A lover of beauty, she lives life chasing after wide-open spaces: sharing her heart with others, in relationship with Jesus, and through music and photography. She tells her story here. &
 
Bethany, this writing is stunningly profound. I have no other words for it’s deep impact. Praying for your transition and all the emotions you are juggling.
Thank you deeply Christine. Your words, emotions, and prayers are dear to my heart.
Brilliantly written. And I hear all that the heart is holding. 💜
Thank you Joanna, for speaking and for hearing my heart.
This is SO creatively written. You are such a good writer, B. I love getting a glimpse into the inner workings of your mind at heart. I’m excited for this next step in the journey for you all. ❤️ No doubt it will be so full of many emotions, as you expressed so beautifully and wholeheartedly here. xoxo
Thank you Lib! I felt creative with this one, it almost made me giddy. Your words are very encouraging to the writer in me and my mind. Thank you for your excitement…love you friend.
You have created a vivid picture of your life and what is coming down the road for you…I love your creativity here and your honest care for each emotion! Wow! I will miss you, my friend. Keep writing💜MJ
Thank you MJ for your words and your heart for me. I will miss you deeply. Thank you for your encouragement of my writing. Love you.
Prayers my friend as you and Darin navigate the next chapter.
Thank you Jaimi…definitely need them!
Bethany…you are a woman that lives fully! I love this: “This woman is living whole-heartedly and there are days when many of you are called to engage and you feel like too much for her. In these moments you notice her isolated and often weeping. Other days, she doesn’t know exactly what she is feeling and Moodiness, Irritability, and Resentment sneak in also leaving her isolated and alone for a time. During these times, she sometimes will curse you or scream at you, try not to take it personally. The hope is that eventually sweet Peace will fill her days again in surprisingly unexpected ways.” I really question if you actually scream or curse at people…but, truly, the gospel says what you do in your heart is enough….so certainly I have done the same. You provoke me to see life through a clearer lens. Which means, you are a scary prophet! May this move back to Texas be all that you hope it to be. Bless you….moves are hard on the body and the soul. Hugs across the many miles….
Thank you Becky for your words and your heart for me. I am a passionate woman and sometimes the cursing and screaming is towards myself and my own emotions. Thank you for your blessings and hugs…a sweet reminder in many of the difficult days.
This is Pixar’s Inside Out meets grown-up real life. I appreciate how all are acknowledged at the party. This is honest wholehearted, not just tidy-for-Facebook wholehearted (is that an oxymoron?). You do well in modeling true invitation to the myriad internal realities in the midst of upheaval. Thank you. Blessings on your transitions!
Wow. Thank you for this response. I feel seen and honored by your words.
You convey so powerfully the magnitude of emotions held and engaged when living whole-heartedly. Bless you as you continue to savor your final days here, as well as prepare for a new beginning there. Hoping with you for sweet peace to fill your days soon.
Thank you dear Janet for your words and for hoping with me.
You do a masterful job showing the complexity of our emotions and how they can be present and active, many at the same time. I also love that you name “Sorrow and grief, your time is coming.” While such a torrent of emotions can sometimes feel overwhelming, naming the emotions you are feeling and why, as you do in this essay, is so honoring to yourself and your heart. It’s a good lesson to me to not be afraid of my emotions, but to instead sit with them and honor why they are there. Thanks Bethany.
You are welcome dear Susan. Thank you for your words here. You have many to sit with as well in this season. Praying for you as you sit and honor them all!
I love how you write. And you always make me cry a little. That’s a good thing 😉 Praying through the transition. I know it’s hard. God honors the hard things. I’m so excited for you to be back in Texas. Love you, B!