by Dr. Steve Cappa, Clinical Director

I’ve not heard the sound of a siren, police car, fire truck nor ambulance, in over a month! The closest thing to road noise that I notice comes from the Crystal River, flowing one mile below our house. It’s an awful thought, but it really does sound like highway noise! This afternoon, I sighted Patti and Davey, through the telescope, across the valley, about 3 miles away, as they hiked up Raspberry Ridge. Last week while moving some things around in the garage, I dropped a 10-pound object on my exposed big toe! Boy it hurt and it now it’s as colorful as a peacock! While clearing brush from the house, I was stung on the ankle by a hornet and the same fate befell Patti the very next day! Tomorrow we’ll be driving “down valley,” as they say, for the third time in 4 days. Davey’s got a baseball practice so down we’ll go to Carbondale, a 26-mile trip . . one way. Ah, life changes . . . “passages”or “transitions” if you will. Yup, we’ve been through some of late and have a few things to say about it!

Saying “good-bye” to the Denver area -- friends, colleagues, church, was difficult to do; but, thankfully we had a good long time to do it. I am also learning that saying "hello” takes time as well. As we say “hello” to a new lifestyle, territory and job responsibilities, we are also supporting our children as they adjust. I am learning about the daily activities of Marble Retreat and about nearby trails to hike with my sons.

Transitions are a part of life. In fact, without transitions, we can't experience a full life. With most transitions, we have a choice on how we will participate. As a part of our life transitions, we’ve always made it a practice to try to effect full, complete and healthy good-byes with those that we’ve loved and known. In our opinion, “good-byes” are as important, if not more important then “hellos.” They are very hard to do as they tend to be painful and most of us want to avoid pain and discomfort of any kind. Nevertheless, they are important. Jesus took a great deal of time to bid farewell to his disciples and we ought to follow His example when these kinds of transitions occur. Transitions in life mean saying goodbye to the familiar and hello to the unfamiliar. They bring stress and can challenge us in our walk with God.

Change can cause us to lose our balance. Nothing is in its usual place. In fact, this week a big old pine tree jumped right out behind my car as I backed out the driveway! We can’t find things. We forget things. We don’t sleep as well as usual. Little things irritate us. Our soul mate or our child says just that wrong word and sparks can fly. We are learning a new dance step with our new positions, and we sometimes step on each other’s toes. Steve and I are thankful that the Lord is accompanying us on this new road. New road or old road, He promises to be with us. This encourages me to realize that it is really okay for me to be wobbly in the unfamiliar, to be in transition.

Transitions are exciting, filled with novelty and adventure. To be sure, our lives have not at all been boring. We feel more alive in the midst of transitions and, positively, they can draw us deeper and closer in our walk with God and with each other. This, of course, is the best part of walking with God and with each other. I can say with confidence that Patti and I are closer now then before. Transitions draw us closer to God and to each other.

Transitions are, by definition, just that! We are moving from one place to another, geographically, spiritually, emotionally, etc. As the experience and the term imply, transitions have a beginning AND an end to them. When they are painful transitions, we want them to pass as quickly as possible. When they are pleasurable, we anticipate with sadness their ending. Such as it is with us all and, to our unending delight, God is present with us through it all! He calls himself Immanuel and this is not a conditional name. May we, especially the Cappa’s during this time, never forget that God is always near and deeply interested in our transitions.