Endings

In my world, May marks the end of many things. In some ways, it more of an ending to a year than December. For me, it's the end of a long school year - the most fun part of a cycle that I participate in each year. I really don't know what it's like for other people in other jobs, so maybe it's the same for others. But, I don't know anything different, as I've been in the school system since I was in preschool myself. You start in August/September, you look forward to Thanksgiving, count down to Winter Break, enjoy a couple weeks off, go back in January for the long spring semester just hoping to make it without losing your mind until Spring Break, and the final end is in sight by April with an exciting countdown in May. It's a predictable cycle - and each time of the year comes with highs and lows unlike any other time of year.

We all remember what this time of year was like when we were younger: getting ready to say goodbye to our friends for the summer, heading to something fun like summer camp or a family vacation, worrying about what the next grade level will be like, wondering if our teacher will remember us and all the fun times we had together, glad that all the hard work we put into that year had finally paid off, cleaning out the desk/locker, checking our books back in, getting to finally throw away the now-tattered-and-torn folders and supplies that were once so fresh and new months ago. . . Well, it's similar for the adults in the school: we're ready for kids to leave so we can clean up, we're ready to be done with grading and report cards and conferences, we look back on a job-well-done year and are anxious about the year to come, we're looking forward to the lazy days of stress-free summer nights with friends and family.

And, while all of this ending is happening, there are other endings that are a bit more superficial but worth mourning just a little: the television shows that helped us get through the year. I know, I'm being a bit petty with something so meaningless as television, but let's be honest - don't you just look forward to a great show at the end of a stressful work day? Don't you just make it through to the next week sometimes - only to see your favorite show and what will happen next? Well, I do. I love cuddling up with Sam on the couch to watch our favorite shows that take our minds off of work and anything else that stresses us out, and May marks the end of many of these favorites. Luckily, many of them will be back on in September, but for one show in particular, we will be lost without it once the final episode airs next week.

Lost is Sam's all-time favorite show. He will certainly be devastated next week when it's finally over. He has watched it from the beginning. Because I didn't want to get hooked on another show, I refused to watch it. Well, about 2 years ago, when Sam had moved in and was studying for the bar exam, I finally caved. I decided that while he was studying, I'd give the first season a shot, so we rented the DVDs of Season 1, and as I expected, I was totally into it. Season 3 tested my loyalty when I was completely annoyed at the story. I watched 3 seasons that summer, then I had to wait a few months before Season 4 was released. I watched Season 4 over Winter Break last year, and together we watched Season 5 as it aired last year. We rewatched every season again this past Winter Break when I was sick and prepared for the final season. The show has given us a lot to talk about as we try to unravel the plot and guess what might happen next. I'm glad I decided to watch it, but now I'm sad that our time with our "friends" is ending. We've gone on quite a journey with these people as we learned to like even the darkest, meanest characters.

It reminds me of when The Cosby Show and Friends ended. Even other great shows like Seinfeld, Sisters, Family Ties, ER, Growing Pains, Dawson's Creek, and Sex & the City - I remember their endings marking the end of some kind of "era." And now, another show has left its mark.

Another ending we're experiencing this week is the end of my sister-in-law's pregnancy. We're going to meet our nephew this week, and we are very excited. But, this particular ending marks the end of her first-born's time as an only child, as the only grandchild. For some reason, I get sad around the time a new baby is born. Even though it's the most amazing beginning, it's a time to reflect on what life without this person has been and how life will change when the baby is born. When my niece, Mara, was born, I remember her mother leaving my nephew, Caden, before she went to the hospital to give birth. She told Caden how much she loved him and how this new baby would never change how special Caden was to her. We cried a little, recognizing that this new baby would change Caden's life forever - she would change all of our lives. Well, I feel the same way about our nephew, Miles. This will be a new start for him, and he needs to know that we will all still love him just as much as ever. The new baby ends the time he has had without a little brother.

Sometimes, endings are to be celebrated and enjoyed. We embrace those endings. Sometimes, endings are sad and are a time for reflection. Some endings are bittersweet and we can't make up our minds how we feel about them. Sometimes we don't want the end to come because of what might be on the other side or the anxiety it may cause. But, endings are inevitable and life must go on - before it ends.