Transitions contain “self-contradictory statements, which can only be true if it is false, and vice versa.” In other words, transitions are ripe with paradoxes.
I received the following in an email after reading Looming Transitions: Starting and Finishing Well in Cross-Cultural Service
Isn’t that the best? I know a bit about her transition, and people it was AGONIZING. The fact that the didn’t leave potatoes, I’m telling you, is victory! Which transition paradoxes you have experienced?
7 paradoxes of transitions
1. You have to change to stay you.
2. Grief is the exhausting path to life.
3. Others have gone before, but no one has walked your path.
4. You might say ridiculous things that are true.
5. A fertile soul may be tilled with to-do lists and watered in tears.
6. The stretch marks may not be obvious to others, but your soul knows the stories they hold.
7. Pay attention to the little things because you never know what will end up being big.
The beginning of a semester cues me that life is moving along. In honor of how self-contradictory transitions can be, all versions of Looming Transitions are on sale for the next 72 hours! You can find them here:
- Looming Transitions: (Kindle and print)
- Looming Transitions Workbook (PDF)
- 22 Activities For Families in Transition (PDF and Kindle)
- and in the works . . . an audible version read by my sister Laura! Listen to a free sample here (just in put “0” for the dollar amount.)
Who do you know who will make a major life transition in the next four to six months? Which version of Looming Transition could you give them? What others are saying, two reviews left on Amazon by people on I don’t know:
“This is an incredible book. I read it as I was transitioning home from the mission field, but wish I would have read it before I left AND when I was coming back. Amy has done a beautiful job at looking holistically at the issues presented in the fragility of transition. Her words are instructive, wise, vulnerable, helpful, and full of grace.
This works for any person regardless of religion, she writes from a Christian perspective but that isn’t the whole base line, it is applicable even if you don’t subscribe to Christianity. She presents some things to work through, which I did, and basically just preps you SO WELL, especially if your organization doesn’t prepare you for moving to or coming back from a transition- or you don’t have a company to help you. After reading, I have recommended this book to countless people as well as sharing my experience. Thanks to Amy.” by M
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“I wish I’d had this book when I was making the transition to the field, and I’m sure it will be helpful when someday I transition off the field. But even though I read it when I didn’t think I was in a big transition, reading it helped me to identify that the smaller transitions–teammates leaving, going on home service–also count as transitions. I need to pay attention to them too, to grieve what needs to be grieved, to mark their importance. No matter where you are on your journey of overseas service, this book is helpful in navigating the many transitions and changes that are looming.” by Amazon Customer
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Remember, some days it is enough to say, “At least I’m pretty sure that I did not leave any potatoes in my bed.”
Thanks for sharing in the joy of helping so many to transition better than they would on their own.
Amy
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