A Letter From Pastor Gina

The other day I received a text from my daughter, Gina. Nothing out of the norm, she was texting me her schedule for finals. This was just a short list of days and times, nothing out of the ordinary, but later it dawned on me...wow, she’s already finishing her sophomore year. And in that moment, I paused in recognition that something so simple can suddenly carry more weight than it was meant to. It stirred a gentle emotion that produced a question in me, is anything ever really final? We call them “finals” as if they mark the end, as if something is wrapped up and completed, but sitting with that message got me thinking. I realized this isn’t an ending but a continuation through a doorway into what’s next. We try to define things, to put edges around moments but life doesn’t seem to honor those boundaries the way we think it should. Jesus points to this when he says, “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit,” so in other words, what looks like an ending is often the very place where something new begins to take shape. And here we are in spring, a season that shows us winter may be over, but spring still carries its share of chilly days, moments that don’t quite feel like what we expected, and yet growth is happening anyway. Life is still unfolding beneath the surface. That simple text didn’t just show me a finals schedule, it reminded me that what we often call an ending is rarely that at all. It can be an invitation to notice, to be present, and to trust that something new is already emerging, even if it doesn’t yet feel warm because life isn't only about endings or conclusions; it's about unfolding.

Blessed to Be Unfolding Beside You,

Gina ❤