Transitioning: part one

Three years culminating into an hour and a half.

Smiles and waves seeing my husband walking down the aisle in his cap and gown.

Tears flowing witnessing him being "hooded".

Raw emotion ripping apart my heart watching a still-fresh grieving, amazingly courageous widow receive her husband's hood and diploma. My husband's closest school friend was not there to celebrate graduation. Not in flesh. But in memory and spirit he was there. He was definitely there.

Lots of hugs and congratulations all around.

Hearing "we'll stay in touch" over and over.

Loading into the van to transport the family and extended family back home.

Standing in the kitchen taking in my freshly graduated husband.

"Now what?"

I had heard a few days ago that the transition out of school is actually harder than school itself. I thought, "there's no way that can be true! I can't WAIT!"

Then yesterday afternoon came.

That sense of something grand, coming to an end.

Finality.

The routine of an ever-changing semester schedule is no more.

No more juggling who's going to take the kids to school or pick them up.

No more papers or required readings.

No more late night or early morning classes.

It's all finished.

But yet it's not.

There is and will be grief.

But also hope.

Hope for what is to come.

To take what we've learned and embed it into who we are.

It's not over.

It's a step.

One big three year step that has had hundreds of little steps intertwined in it. Steps that ebbed and flowed into new steps. Steps that have taken us to new places of life. Much deeper places. That will continue to propel us forward.

Even in death.

It's not the end.

It's just another step in our journey called life.

Rank and Review of Indelible by Kristen Heitzmann

We start off with Trevor MacDaniel. His past consists of winning gold medals and leading the fast paced, spot-light life, all to out-run a painful childhood memory. After a nasty knee injury, skiing was put on the shelf, and the adventure shop was open along with being a part of a search and rescue team.

Natalie Reeve is his working neighbor. An unfortunate event is how she and Trevor are introduced. But Natalie has a talent like no one else. A sculptor by trade that is also her mode of survival.

And last, the name-less character. He inserts his life into Trevor and Natalie's via pictures of kids in perilous situations. Hoping Trevor will come to the rescue for these helpless kids, he inserts his life from afar (at the beginning) to feed off of the arch-angel persona he feels Trevor is.

A high paced, well written story that will keep you guessing until the end. A bit disturbing in places (from the viewpoint as a parent), but oh so good. Kristen does it again with writing a thrill-seeking book that sucks you in from page one. Characters are fully introduced at the beginning and then she works backwards in revealing their lives.

Some of the characters from Indivisible are in this book, but it can definitely be read as a stand-alone book. I highly recommend it. A fantastic read!!

Waterbrook Multnomah sent me this complimentary copy to review for them.

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