On the beautiful Sunday afternoon of October 2, 2022, three legends walked together out of the brilliant sunshine and into the shadows. The St. Louis Cardinals’ Albert Pujols, Adam Wainwright and Yadier Molina – teammates, friends, and brothers – exited the final home game of the season as more than 40,000 people roared their love, admiration and respect for these men who have spent two decades delighting baseball fans around the world. Wainwright could return for another season, but this is the final season in the careers of Molina and Pujols. As the players on the field applauded and their opponents showed their respect, a thunderous ovation accompanied these three icons as they left the field and descended into the dugout to receive high-fives, handshakes and hugs from their teammates and coaches. It was one of the most amazing and emotional moments in the history of the game of baseball. It was the end of an era.
But it’s not the end. The Cardinals have three more games to play before the regular season closes. Although Wainwright will not pitch in any of them, Molina and Pujols will most likely appear in those games. Even when the final game of the regular season ends in Pittsburgh, it won’t be the end because the Cardinals made it to the playoffs. Busch Stadium will once again be filled to capacity as the Cardinals open a best-of-three series there on Friday. If all goes well, Molina, Pujols and Wainwright will continue to play throughout October (and possibly into November). So the “end of an era” moment on that gorgeous Sunday afternoon was not the end. In fact, right now nobody knows when the end will come for these three beloved Redbirds. They and their fans all hope that the end comes in the form of a third World Series championship, followed by leading a celebratory parade through the streets of St. Louis.
Lately, it seems, many people around me are thinking about or discussing “the end”. Someone I know is approaching the end of a 40-plus year career with the same company. Recently the calendar marked the end of Summer. On a more serious note, I was involved in a recent discussion about how people sometimes have to “get their affairs in order” as they face the end of their life, whether from a terminal illness or because of the inevitable passage of time. Not long ago I had a customer who had been involved in providing end-of-life care for people. Then there are the Biblical teachings about the end of the world as we know it. Like it or not, “the end” is always coming, whether it’s the end of a season, a career, or of life.
We don’t like to talk about “the end”, and often find discussions about it to be uncomfortable or depressing. That’s because we forget that “the end” is not the end. It’s simply a new beginning. The end of a career is actually the beginning of something else – whether of a new career or of retirement. The end of one era is the beginning of the next one. The end of our life on this earth marks the beginning of our eternity. Every ending represents the beginning of something else. Even the Bible’s teaching of the end of the world is followed by the promise of a new heaven and a new earth. “The end” is not the end.
New beginnings are exciting and inspire hope, but beginnings can be as uncomfortable as endings. Uncertainty and nervousness accompanies the excitement of a new beginning simply because we are entering into the unknown. Whether you are starting a new job, attending a new school, moving to a new town (or even a new house in the same town), or entering into the next phase of life, facing the unknown can be stressful or uncomfortable. The key is to focus on the excitement and adventure of entering the unknown rather than on the uncertainty. Doing so removes the burden of stress and energizes you with renewed hope. It’s like the difference between spring and autumn. Fall often means the end of vacation and the start of cold, dreary weather. It can be a little depressing. However, in the spring we get excited about the emergence of green grass, beautiful flowers, and bright sunshine. It’s filled with the joy of new life as the trees bud, baby birds hatch, and love is in the air. We should view the changing seasons of our lives as if we are entering spring once again.
We all have to face endings in our lives. It’s an inevitable part of living. As we face the end of something, we can (and should) recognize, respect and honor what has been. Perhaps we will even shed a few tears as we recognize that the end has come. But even as those tears run down your cheek, you should feel an excitement begin to grow inside you as you enter into whatever comes next. Always remember: “The End” is not the end.
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