WHAT'S BEHIND DOOR #1?

There is something so intriguing about a DOOR.  After all, when a door is closed we can’t see what is on the other side; we can only imagine.  I have had a fascination with doors for many years.  As a young teacher, I attended an art workshop and the presenter was not only an artist but also a very gifted photographer.  I remember that she showed us a slide show (well, that certainly dates me!) and each photo was of a different door that she had photographed in her journeys.  There were all types, sizes, and colors of doors; some were old, some were new; some were large, some were small; they were all beautiful or interesting in their own way and they each had their own story.  I don’t know why this has stuck with me for so many years, but it has.  And so, began my love affair with doors.

One of my favorite quotes has always been:  when one door closes, another opens.  And because I have lived for many years and can look back over those years and see lessons learned, I know this statement to be true.  Many doors have closed in my life; some I closed myself, others God closed for me.  And each time, a new door opened …maybe not right away and not always the door  I wanted to open, but still a new door opened.

When I was 13 years old, the door to my life up until that time closed because my parents divorced and my younger brother and I moved with my mother to a new town.  Then a new door opened to a new school (which was better than the school system I had previously attended) and to new friends, many of whom are still close friends today.  

When my parents divorced, the door closed on my family as I knew it.  But later a new door opened and I gained a wonderful man for my step-father and my one and only sister.

The door closed on a relationship I was involved in while in high school…and a new door opened to a new relationship which has resulted in almost 48 years of a marriage that I cherish with all my heart.

The door closed on the future career that I thought I wanted…the one my college major prepared me for.  Then very unexpectedly a new door opened that led me to become a teacher…something I had never even thought of but now realize I was created to be.

Those were all instances where the “new door” brought new experiences that enriched my life.  But there have also been doors to close that I wish never had to do so…the loss of a daughter and my step-father; the loss of dreams that never came true; the change of plans that I didn’t want to give up. 

Life is full of doors….one closes, another opens.  Sometimes we get so focused on the doors that close that we fail to see all the doors that God has opened for us.  Sometimes we want to turn around and go back through the door that closed.  But life isn’t about going backwards…it’s about going forwards.

I believe it was Ralph Waldo Emerson that said:  Be an opener of doors.  I like that thought.  I hope as I continue through this journey called life that I will be willing to open new doors and that I will also be willing to help others open their new doors.  After all…when one door closes, another  opens; life isn’t static.  So.....

                    let’s embrace OPEN DOORS.

pictures courtesy of Google and Pinterest...and some very talented photographers