2019 is here! For many people this will be a year of transition. It will mean sorting and packing, painful goodbyes, anticipation, uncertainties about the future and much more. It means the loss of a place that has been home and trying to make a new place home. Some TCKs say that they feel most at home in an airport or on a plane because their feelings of grief and anticipation are balanced.

Whether a child, teen or adult, each person processes transition in their own way. Some people will procrastinate in saying goodbyes and wait to the very last minute to do it. Some leave without ever saying goodbye. Some are trailed by a string of broken relationships, while others work to repair them before leaving. Whether they acknowledge them or not, people have expectations about what will come next. In some cases, no place could ever live up to those expectations. In other cases, they are so low or negative that they produce fear and anxiety. Transitions are often a swirl of emotions—anger, anticipation, hope, etc.

As you or your family plan for the transition that is coming this year, don’t just prepare for the packing! Be sure you carve out time for saying goodbyes and create a plan for leaving well. Research says that if you don’t leave well you don’t enter well. As you transition, remember that Interaction has personnel and resources that can help you transition well.

Janet Blomberg
Director of Educational Services