It’s Moving Season and the Season of Letting Go
He had me at, “It’s moving season…”
I wasn’t sure where he was going or if this was an announcement that he’d be moving on. I held my breath. I wasn’t sure I’d be prepared for another Spiritual Father to leave our church. My heart has already had to handle so much loss—deaths, relationships changed by painful circumstances, the loss of our pastor and a beloved priest and the ache of letting go.
He was sharing about the season of the religious and their new moves after reassignments. Fortunately, he isn’t leaving our church. But the message he was sharing was already turning into a good one. A 2026 author’s note: sadly a year later, this beloved priest was reassigned early in the summer.
As I thought back to Saturday, I whispered to myself, “Yep, it definitely is the moving season.” My son had just packed his car and moved to another state for his next step in life and another move is coming. It was a wonderful summer, and now this momma is holding the both/and—joy for his future and the ache of releasing the life we’ve known. I know a few other mommas who can relate.
Then the homilist continued, “It’s also the season of letting go.”
He sure got that right and boy, can I relate. Maybe you can too.
The letting go he spoke of was more about the unnecessary things we store up in the barns we build in our lives and in our hearts. Earlier, I read another homily by a priest who led a youth group retreat in the mountains. One of the students mentioned how beautiful the rolling hills were, but said the large barn nearby blocked the view.
We build these barns—garages, and even spaces in our hearts—that overflow with things, keeping us focused on treasures of the world instead of seeing God or hearing His voice.
Letting go isn’t emptying what’s left behind; it’s making room for what matters to God. Luke’s Gospel reminds us that life isn’t in our barns but in our hearts. Jesus warns in today’s reading: “Life does not consist in possessions…So is the one who stores up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”
This echoes exactly what the priest and I wrestled with—the barns we build may block our view not only of the hills, but of the heart of God’s call.
In seasons of loss and transition, it’s easy to hold tightly to more than we need in an effort to preserve memories. Over the past two years, my kids and I have been intentional about keeping what matters and releasing what no longer fits in our lives or distracts us from peace.
It’s the season of moving and letting go. It has been this way for some time for me, for my kids, and for our family as we navigate the beautiful rolling landscape of our lives, keeping our eyes fixed on what matters to God.
I want to hold on to many things like the memories we cherish, the way things were (though I know I can’t), and even the weight of grief (though I can only carry so much and must give the rest to God).
But I’m also ready for the grace to let go of the unnecessary things…the ones that distract, deceive, betray, or harm, even if unintentionally. I want to welcome the space for healing from old wounds, the pain of loss, and even fractured relationships.
I’m learning to hold it all a little less tightly, maybe a little more lightly…a bit more wisdom the priest offered during his homily.
It had me thinking when we let go, those empty spaces don’t have to be voids. They can become vessels for love. And when they’re filled with love, we can hear God’s voice more clearly and become who He is calling us to be.
Letting go is hard whether it’s releasing your children to follow their dreams, surrendering your own plans, or loosening our grip on deeply held beliefs or treasures when God asks us to.
Maybe you’re in your own moving and letting go season—sending a child off to school, packing a dorm room, standing in an empty bedroom, or grieving a spouse or loved one taken much too soon. If so, I hope these words meet where you are.
As the Friar wrapped up his homily, he shared about his own unease when moving away from family during formation. I understood the ache and the supporting them as they spread their wings. His mother told him she too wanted to be near him, but in her wisdom she told him, “The thing is, I love you…and love lets go.”
Maybe that is what this moving season is teaching me—that love isn’t measured by how tightly we hold on, but by how faithfully we entrust those we love to God.
“Do not look forward to the changes and chances of this life with fear; rather look to them with full hope that, as they arise, God, whose you are, will deliver you out of them.”
St Francis de Sales
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