09/11/2026
Endings or out growing things doesn't mean they were mistakes. Sometimes it simply means the assignment is completed.
I have several friends who are facing the difficult decision to close or change their businesses right now. With the economy the way it is, many people are walking through uncertain and frightening seasons. When something you work hard to build ends—or no longer looks the way you imagined—it can feel like failure.
For small business owners, that grief can feel especially personal because our businesses are often like our babies. We pour our time, energy, creativity, sacrifice, and love into them. But just as healthy parenting means loving your children while also allowing them to grow, change, and eventually go their own way, sometimes we have to learn how to lovingly release a business—or a season— that we helped bring to life.
We have to step back, pay attention to what is happening, and trust that letting go does not mean we didn’t care. It doesn’t mean it was all for nothing, and it doesn’t mean we failed.
Endings are a part of life. We try things, learn things, change direction—and we begin again, better than before. To believe that everything is supposed to remain the same throughout our entire lives is unrealistic. If nothing ever changes, what are we learning? How are we growing?
An ending doesn’t erase the purpose that season served.
Every chapter carries us somewhere. It teaches us, strengthens us, introduces us to people, reveals gifts we didn’t know we had, and prepares us for things we cannot yet see. We wouldn’t be who we are today without all the steps behind us—the beautiful ones, the difficult ones, and even the ones we never would have chosen.
My own business has changed many times. I started small, moved into the gas station, unexpectedly had to leave that location, and then moved heavily into catering because it kept my business alive. Now, after five and a half years, I am transitioning away from full-service catering and returning my focus to the bakery side, sourdough, teaching, community outreach, and the Sunshine Stand.
I know what direction I’m walking toward, but I still don’t know exactly what it will look like. That can be scary.
I also know the thoughts will come: “What are people going to think? What are they going to say?”
But honestly, who cares?
People are going to talk whether you stay, leave, succeed, fail, grow, or change direction. Some will talk positively, and some will criticize. That is simply the beast of it. Let them talk. You do what you have to do for your health, your peace, your business, and your future.
Although our customers mean the world to us, our decisions must also protect our sustainability and longevity. If we destroy ourselves trying to keep everyone happy, eventually there won’t be a healthy person—or a business—left to serve anyone. You are the one who has to live your life, not the people watching it.
Sometimes we hold tightly to something because it once saved us, provided for us, or gave us purpose. But we aren’t always meant to carry every good or bad thing forever. Some things are meant to serve a season and then make room for what comes next.
So if you are closing a door, changing direction, or grieving something that didn’t last, please don’t assume it was all for nothing. It may truly be an ending, and it may be a painful one. But step back and look at the whole picture. Look at what you gained, what you learned, who you became, and how that season shaped you.
When we begin to see it that way, the weight can feel a little lighter. We can recognize that God has always had a purpose—even in the parts we didn’t understand.
Honor what that season gave you. Take the wisdom, strength, and growth with you.
It wasn’t wasted.
You didn’t fail.
It carried you where you needed to go.
Endings are real, but they are rarely only endings. There is always a new beginning right behind them. We may not see it yet, and it may not look anything like we expected, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t already being prepared.
Perhaps that assignment has simply been completed, and God is preparing you for the next one.
Sending you so much love, always—and I’m proud of you. 💛☀️🌻
