“I won’t let go.” I say as I sway.

The wind blows in the air with gusto, but I hold on with all my might onto my tiny stem of hope and familiar and comfortable light.

A light comes through the clouds, as if majesty, the clouds part away.

Soon, the warm ray shines down, around and then finally, through.

They say your old, past due, and on the verge of decay.

They are not wrong, what they say is true, but I hold onto the past trying to remember who I am, in order to meet myself where I am.

I linger,  I pause, I reflect, the leaf beside me is my mirror.

I know it’s time to let go, but I am protecting something.

A dream? A wish?

 Will this tree even survive without me?

How will it go on? Who will I be without this tree?

“Do not be afraid, for I am with you.” says the whisper in the wind.

But these leaves, and I have been together for so long I cannot bear to do this on my own.

“You are not alone,” I hear again.

I turn one way to see if I can see the voice in the sound, I turn the other way to see the physical being to the spiritual presence I feel.

I see nothing and I feel everything.

I dread, and I worry; with every turn, anxiety creeps in.  Back and forth, my stem loosens; another blast of wind flows from the west.

Suddenly, I feel lighter, free even. I smile and close my eyes, and on an exhale I choose to release.

The weight I’ve been holding this season lifts as a float from side to side.

No need to worry, no need to fuss. I’m shedding the old to make room for change.

Changing doesn’t mean we have to leave behind our old identities, change invites us into new growth. What can we learn from each season, what can we take with us and what do we need to leave behind?   -Justine

*For more from Justine, visit our Band of Bloggers page.