“This too shall pass.”

It is a phrase we have all heard, but it carries more weight after we have lived through enough seasons to know its truth. Nothing stays exactly the same forever.

Over the years, I spent a great deal of time with my psychologist, Dr. Perez. She helped me navigate pain, loss, transitions, and the difficult work of understanding myself. Then I faced another change: she was retiring.

I was happy for her, but I knew I would miss her presence. I would also have to begin again with someone new.

We form deep connections with teachers, mentors, therapists, and guides who help shape us. Eventually, many of those relationships change. We appreciate what they gave us and then make space for them to live their next chapter, just as they helped us build ours.

That, too, can be an expression of love.

Learn It, Live It, Pass It On

From my military years, I remember a simple progression: learn it, do it, and teach it.

At first, I was the person learning. Dr. Perez helped me journal, meditate, process emotion, question old stories, and move through change more honestly. Then I began practicing those tools in my own life. Eventually, I found myself sharing some of those lessons with other people.

Her impact did not end when the appointments ended. It continued through the way I lived and what I passed forward.

There is a humility in recognizing that people who help us have lives of their own. They do not exist only in relation to us. Dr. Perez had earned the right to enjoy her family, friends, rest, and whatever new adventures called her.

So thank you, Dr. Perez. You helped make me a better and more self-aware person. You gave me tools for changes I had not yet encountered, including the change of saying goodbye to you.

To anyone facing the loss of a trusted guide or the uncertainty of beginning again: the relationship may change, but what you learned does not disappear.

We learn. We practice. We carry the lesson forward.

That is the rhythm—and sometimes the beauty—of change.