When One Door Closes…

I’ve always believed that when one door closes, another one opens—and that everything happens for a reason. The hardest part, though, is not always knowing what that reason is.

If I had known that would be our last conversation, I would’ve made sure we were somewhere with cell service. I would’ve said more, listened longer, and tucked away every word.

Not knowing the “why” behind those moments—23 years later—can still feel frustrating.

But life has a way of teaching us that endings don’t mean everything disappears. I’m thankful for the last visit we had and the time spent with our kids. Though you haven’t been here physically these past 23 years, you’ve somehow managed to keep showing up in our everyday lives. Our boys talk about you as if you’ve always been here, and maybe in some way, you have—through stories, through memories, and through the pieces of you that shaped us.

What I’ve come to realize is that just because something isn’t how it used to be, doesn’t mean it has to be gone. Parts of us change, grow, and strengthen based on the experiences we’ve lived through. Loss, transition, even unexpected challenges—they shift us. But they also make space for new opportunities: to show up differently, to see life through a new lens, and to carry forward the things that matter most.

That’s the beauty in the closing of one door and the opening of another: we don’t stay the same, and we aren’t meant to.

Instead, we carry what remains, weaving it into the life we’re still building. We keep showing up—for ourselves, for each other, and for the opportunities that remind us that even in change, there is always something to be grateful for.

And maybe that’s the thread that ties it all together—whether it’s navigating a diagnosis, starting over in a new place, or simply learning to live with the tide of change along the coast. Life shifts, but we keep showing up, finding strength in what remains, and hope in what’s still to come.