“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” – the song “Closing Time” by Semisonic

One of the things that is most difficult for me to deal with living in New England is how early it gets dark here during the winter months. I tend to get a little depressed and lethargic come November. Having grown up in Ohio, which is on the western side of the Eastern Time Zone, I was used to having it light out for almost an hour longer than it is here. This is very noticeable to me in December when the sun sets around 4:00pm! I mean, some elementary kids have just gotten home from their school day at that time and it is already almost dark.

So, nine years ago, my husband and I made the decision to rent a condo for the winter season in New Hampshire so that we could ski together as a family on the weekends. I am very thankful that we were and continue to be able to do this because being outdoors for at least two days a week – ALL day – made a huge difference in my attitude. Our kids were thirteen, eleven and seven at the time that we began this winter tradition. They all learned to ski at our local mountain and have grown to love the sport over the years.

Almost every winter Friday, we drive up in one or two cars (eventually three when the older two got their licenses and had social plans one of the weekend evenings) and talk non-stop for the duration of the ride. We share about our days, discuss current events, listen to the kids’ favorite tunes and then subject them to our “old people” songs. This “forced family fun” has become the stuff of memories and it feels like a little mini-vacation each weekend when we get in the car to head north to the mountains.

Our winter weekends are all about skiing, skinning (up-hill hiking on skis), hiking, skating, tubing, sledding, smores over an open fire in the snow, snowball fights - basically any winter outdoor activity we could think of that could be done as a family. We have our “Up North ski friends” and we look forward to getting together with them and their families to watch movies, go out to eat, or play board games in the evenings. At one of the condos that we rented, there was no cable TV but the owners had a VCR and DVD collection. That particular winter, we watched a huge assortment of movies ranging from the 1950s through the early 2000s. Not everyone was a fan of each movie, but we all became pretty good at movie quotes after that winter!

Even though the older two kids are now in college, the three of us who remain continue to love spending our winters “Up North”. Our youngest worked as a ski instructor this past season and the older two always make it a priority to join us when they are home from school. If anyone needs to find our family from December 1st through March 31st – head north to New Hampshire.

When April 1st comes around, we are ready to move out. We have sucked as much marrow as we can from the bones of winter and love driving home with the sun still above the horizon at 7pm. The short, dark days of winter are behind us. The mountains continue to have snow, but the lowlands are now turning muddy with patches of grass replacing the white blanket of winter. I’m ready for gardening, seeing all of our local friends whom we have not seen since Thanksgiving, and (of course) spring cleaning!

Although it feels great to be back at home on the weekend for the first time in four months, I find that I do get a little sad. December 1st was the beginning of what always promises to be a fun ski season as a family – no matter what the conditions turn out to be. Its end marks a point for reflection. Like the saying goes, “All good things must come to an end”. I think that it is important to honor and contemplate life’s various ending points as we look forward to new beginnings.

This is life though, isn’t it? As one door closes, another opens. We take our memories and experiences with us and we learn from them. They make us more compassionate, empathetic and human. And sometimes they make us sad.

Springtime is a season that is filled with these reflection points. For instance, next weekend, our eldest daughter will graduate from college. Of late, every time that I talk to her on the phone, she vacillates between being overjoyed to be finished with her studies and melancholy about leaving a place where she has spent the last four years of her young adult life - learning, creating life-long friendships, and experiencing football game days at the Big House! As a parent, it marks the end of my relationship with my daughter as a perpetual student and the beginning of one with her as a young adult. I am so proud of the woman she is, but I also get nostalgic about all of the memories that led to this point. Wasn’t she just in elementary school?

In addition to graduations, sprinkle in Proms, First Communions, end of the year recitals, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, (insert big life event here) – and each of these events mark both endings and new beginnings that are emotionally complex events in and of themselves. It is no wonder that I am a bit of a sentimental and nostalgic mess at points during the spring!

But, it is ok. Whatever ending we are letting go of has played a particular role in our lives that had meaning and purpose. It has led us to this moment in time. Being a little sad means it was worthwhile. It means that we have grown. It means that it is time for a new beginning.

One of my favorite movies is Pixar’s animated “Inside Out”. If you have not seen it, I highly recommend it. The movie beautifully illustrates the interplay of the emotions of Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust. No journey in life is filled with just one of these in isolation. A fulfilling journey will be a mosaic of emotions. It is by leaning into each one of them, that we are able to both derive the most from, and be ready for, life’s beginnings and endings.