Chaos Proceeds Change

"All great changes are preceded by chaos."
– Deepak Chopra

December 9, 2024

2009 was a difficult year for me. It’s when my marriage fell apart and I found myself alone and unemployed with three children under the age of six.

A few days before Christmas that year, I remember the kids were hunkered down in their beanbag chairs with sippy cups and baggies of Goldfish crackers while I stared at the only three items I had to wrap and put under the Christmas tree that year: a picture book, a small toy truck, and a generic Barbie doll.

I was devastated, and I feared my children would be, too.  What was I going to do?

The next few days passed in a blur. Job seeking and mom duties took priority over figuring out my Christmas gift shortage dilemma.

Then, Christmas Eve morning, the kids were still sleeping when an unexpected knock at my door interrupted my morning coffee. When I opened the door, there on my doorstep was a woman I recognized from my father’s church, arms filled with gifts wrapped in shiny red and green paper.

“There’s more!” She said after I welcomed her inside. She placed the first stack under our barren tree and made three more trips to her car. I stood still, shocked and overcome with relief and gratitude. My children would have a magical Christmas after all.

Three months later, I started working for the spring manufacturing company where I’ve now been employed for the last fourteen years. By Christmas 2010, life looked a little different. That year, I vividly remember placing the last of the wrapped gifts under the tree, then stepping back to admire its beauty.

But it wasn’t just the beauty of a decorated Christmas tree with neatly wrapped packages. That tree stood as a testament to my resilience, my hard work, and my determination not to give up hope. It represented a year of digging deep and finding a way to provide for my children. As I stood there, I thought back to the previous Christmas and remembered the quote, “All great changes are preceded by chaos.”

The chaos is uncertainty and worry; it’s doing the grunt work, the jobs no one else wants, and proving to others—but mostly to yourself—that you can learn, adapt, grow, and change. Chaos is when everything feels like it’s falling apart, and yet you find a way to gather the pieces and build something stronger.

For me, 2009 was that year of chaos. It was the year when my life unraveled before I found the tools and strength to put it all back together. That chaos became the foundation for the next chapter of my life—a chapter where I discovered my capabilities and my true self. Without that season of struggle, I wouldn’t have found the persistence, courage, and sense of accomplishment that Christmas 2010 symbolized

    When you find yourself knee deep in the chaos, do what you can to remind yourself:

            The only way out is through, and all great changes are preceded by chaos.