So many unfinished projects

I sit in my chair surrounded by
so many unfinished projects...

A shawl for a friend whose heart sometimes beats too fast and sometimes too slow...
a baby blanket waiting for either a purple or blue border to be applied...
a scarf and wrist warmers for me in a yarn too rich and yummy to be resisted...
bags and boxes of yarn whose purposes have yet to be revealed...
papers and sermons to be filed...
books to be put away...
laundry to be folded...
episodes of television that sit on my DVR unwatched because I don't want the magic to end.

I have always thought of my life as an unfinished story,
with so many moves to houses big and small,
so many friends, all coming in just the right season,
and so many jobs, both paid and volunteer, that gave me joy.

My life is so different from the one I imagined
that it has become hard to even look into the future to see what comes next.
My comings and goings were decided by the needs of the Bishop or the Air Force,
because true love often takes us down uncharted roads,
and we made whatever came work
better than we ever imagined it could be.

But soon, much sooner that we expected,
we must look around that corner to the next thing...
and ask ourselves the inevitable question,
"What do we want to be when we grow up?"

Because come July 1,
Air Force life will be no more,
and who knows,
we may become those blasted retirees
who park their shopping carts in the middle of the Commissary aisles,
leisurely shopping, just for something to do.

Or maybe not.

So many unfinished projects...
I keep wondering why I'm not more panicked at the thought of this brave, new world.
And then I remember what I've been telling military spouses for more than 20 years...
God is down every road.

(c) Deb Luther Teagan - March 2017