~~I call the picture to the right "Door of Opportunity," as that is what we're facing right now~~Most of you probably realize that I do not care much for cell phones (it took a lot for me to even get one), and Hubby likes them even less than I do. But there are benefits, to be certain.
Departures can be hard, but they can also be the start of a new life or a new journey in life. Sometimes departures just take you on a path other than what you had intended.
For definition's sake, since we often use words without ever looking up their true meaning, I'll write the definition from Webster's New Twentieth Century Dictionary of the English Language Unabridged, published 1949 by The World Publishing Company Cleveland and New York (as in, I have the 5" thick, physical dictionary).
De-par'ture, n.
1. A separating or parting.
2. The act of going away; a moving from leaving a place; as, a departure from San Francisco.
3. Death; decease; removal from the present life. "The time of my departure is at hand.
--2 Tim. iv.6"
4. A forsaking; abandonment; divergence; as, a departure from right.
5. In navigation, (a) change of longitude; (b) the bearing of an object on the coast, taken
on starting on a voyage as the point from which dead reckoning begins.
6. In law, the abandonment of the ground taken in a former pleading, and the adoption of
another.
To take a departure; to learn the location of a vessel on the beginning of a voyage.
Well, I'm certainly glad I used a dictionary to support what I was intending to say! And not just any dictionary, but one that actually defines the word in the ways I intend to use it.
"Depature" in all it's forms listed above have been a part of our lives for at least the past two years, which has usually been in the negative way. I have experienced Def #1 in several ways concerning various relationships (with people, with inanimate objects, with mentality, with 'religion', with the virtual world). We experienced Def #2 for the second time this past year when Hubby departed from home to a combat zone (again). Both Hubby and I have experienced Def #3 in the past year as we lost family members and friends. Our entire lives are pretty much defined by Def #4 (we don't follow any path, we're busy cutting away our own), not the "departure from right" but more so a divergence from standard societal ways. Pretty sure Hubby has been dealing with Def #5 a lot! And Def #6, well, not too much experience there, since we've never had to go to court or anything.
The "death" departure is very difficult to deal with, in only that it brings out the worst in the living! We, the living, are left to deal with all the emotions of loss, confusion, and maybe even asking "why" in some cases. But I would have to argue, that for us, the most difficult departure to deal with is most definitely #2-- the departure of my beloved Hubby and our children's most excellent "father of the... world!" This is a departure that has not gotten easier over time, it keeps re-occurring-- as that is military life (particularly during a time of war)-- and the closure together those departures are, the more it takes its toll on our very being!
But the positive one I'd like to focus on is Definition #4-- A forsaking; abandonment; divergence. Hubby and I began our married lives with that definition! We forsook "all others," in our commitment to each other. We abandoned our solitary lives for one of union and sharing. We diverge continually when we choose to work out the issues and problems and arguments that are a natural part of relationships, particularly marital relationships! We abandon and forsake our individual needs in order to help each other and to help our children, yet while trying to maintain the balance of "if you can't help yourself, you can't help anyone else."
With another "departure" on the horizon and in the works, which I'll explain later if it does come to fruition, I have been made all the more... aware of how much "departure" is in our lives on a constant basis, with hardly any recognition. "Departure" is a choice, even if one fails to choose.
I depart from recipes, as I may not like a particular ingredient, or want to add (you guessed it, garlic) an ingredient. I depart from "patterns" in crocheting because... well, I can read them just fine, but I adapt the general idea to my skill level and creativity. We as a family have departed, as have many others, from the public school system in favor of a more individualized program of study to meet the children's unique needs, which in turn has allowed us a great flexibility in the "departure on the horizon."
Isn't it nice to know that "departure" doesn't always have to mean tearful good-bye's at a crowded airport? Isn't it nice to know that you cannot "arrive" without departing? If one seeks to arrive at one's goal, one must depart from a previously held goal or lifestyle-- adapting to suit one's particular needs.
I, for one, am very grateful to learn that there is much positivity to be held in "departure," in separations. In separating ourselves from a former belief, a former mentality, a former lifestyle, we open the door to possibilities and opportunities. We open ourselves to being able to learn, instead of becoming stagnated and in a rut. How important that is to life! To living!
Another thing I'm grateful for is technology, particularly as of late. In the past week, roughly, we've had the opportunity to use technology to stay in touch with beloved Hubby. This has helped Boy and Girl immensely, as they are severely missing Daddy. To be able to hear and see him at the same time, though he's not here physically, still leaves us with a sense of reality that Daddy loves each of us, that he's working hard for each of us, he misses each of us, and is anxious to come home to each of us! Technology has also allowed us to stay in touch with friends across the globe, as each of us has followed the path laid before us.
Technology provides a practical usefulness, in spite of departures and separations! The irony!
I hope this entry gives each of you pause to think about how departure isn't always bad, that there can be great things in store when one departs, when one breaks away.
~~Cedeham
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