EMBRACING CHANGE

(RE)DISCOVERING SILVER BAY

The season of spring is sometimes called “mud season” here in the Adirondacks, but if you look closely, you can see the grass and flowers sprouting. If you listen closely, you can hear the brooks roaring because of the snow melt and see the returning birds and hear their beautiful singing. Yet all too often, I miss these new beginnings and subtle changes because I’m so focused on the same old mud that appears every year.

The prophet Isaiah reminds us that God is always up to something new. The challenge lies in our perception; we simply fail to notice the new things that are happening all around us! For some reason, I tend to think things should always remain the same, but change is the one thing that we can truly count on. Author Mandy Hale has stated that “change is painful, but nothing is as painful as staying stuck somewhere you don’t belong.”

There are new things happening all the time at Silver Bay YMCA, and this can be a little scary because of the treasured memories we hold so dearly. There are personnel changes. There are changes to our campus. There are new guests coming all the time. Some of these changes are very small and you may have to look very hard to see them. Other changes are obvious, and you would have to work very hard to avoid seeing them.

Change can certainly be challenging, but it can also be very good. Sometimes new things are necessary because the old ways of doing things and old patterns of thinking no longer work. Here at Silver Bay YMCA new things are happening and changes are being rolled out. I would encourage each member of the Silver Bay community to embrace the new changes here and perceive the good that can come from these changes so that this community continues to thrive and grow well into the future!

Garth Allen

Spiritual Life Director