The column “Find Your Buried Treasure” appears weekly in the Chanhassen (MN) Villager. This column was published on February 10, 2011.

I was in my 40s when my husband, kids and I moved from the Chicago area – where we were born and raised – to Roanoke, Virginia. It was the first of several moves we made to different parts of the country. After a few months of living in Virginia, one of my neighbors asked, “So, Betty, are you starting to like it here in Roanoke, or do you still miss Chicago?”

My one-word answer: “Yes.”

I didn’t see the two as mutually exclusive. I was very much enjoying Roanoke, and exploring this new part of the country, but I missed my family and friends and all that was familiar “back home.”

What made me think of this just recently is that in the last few weeks I’ve started working with two new Dream Coach clients, and I have two other clients who just finished the program. In a way, my feelings are the same as when we first moved to Roanoke. I’m always eager to start the Dream Coaching program again, and I love helping new clients explore and enjoy the vast new world of opportunities and possibilities that is opening up to them. But I hate saying goodbye to them when the program comes to a close and I’m no longer in contact with them on a weekly or bi-weekly basis.

As with moving from Chicago, however, I’ve learned that moving to a different place does not mean leaving behind everything or everyone from the past. And even though my relationship with clients changes once they’ve finished the program, it continues on in a different way. In many cases, we’ve stayed in touch through email, occasional phone calls, and in the on-line Dream Community. And I am a permanent member of their DreamTeams, the people they know they can count on for ideas, advice, input and assistance. As they continue to pursue their dreams, I often feel like a proud mother watching them. And I’m thrilled to be a part of the process, whether it’s from up close and personal during the coaching program or from more of a distance after it’s done.

Finishing up in one area – whether it’s moving, completing a program, or fulfilling one dream and starting in on another – does not mean “The End.” It usually means the beginning. And everything you take with you as you begin anew will include the lessons you’ve learned, the experiences you’ve gained, and the relationships you’ve formed.

I have to remind myself of this from time to time, especially since it relates to so many areas of life. Our families change as kids grow up and go off to start new lives and families of their own. We move to new places in terms of our homes, our jobs, the organizations to which we belong, and the activities in which we take part. And when it’s time to say goodbye, it helps to remember that there’s a great big “Hello” when we look at it from the other direction. When we can do that, we’re able to treasure the memories of everywhere we’ve been, enjoy wherever it is that we are right now, and look forward eagerly and with sweet anticipation to everywhere we’ll be going from here.

CHANHASSEN VILLAGER
2/10/11
© Betty Liedtke, 2011