In the middle of Anaheim there’s a beautiful home which sits on such a massive piece of land, you’d swear they owned horses. I think they used to, actually, but no longer.

The house is wood siding and brick, the former painted a lovely shade of pale yellow. Its detached garage looks like a miniature barn, and its lawn is sprawling, lush and green.

A number of years back, its previous owners lost the home and trashed it for the next owner. Fixtures and cabinets were hastily torn down, holes were knocked in walls and ceilings, cement poured into the pool, windows shattered — you name it, and the home endured it.

In time, a new family moved in and gave it a new lease on life. On my evening walks, I marvel at the home’s beauty and it makes me think that maybe I’m meant to live in this town the rest of my life — but that I should save up my money to buy that home in the meantime.

Tonight I drove past the house and twinkle lights dripped from every tree branch and twisted up each tree trunk in the backyard. There were tables with white linens and white chairs set up. It was all for a wedding, and the guests who were arriving were dressed to the nines. For a home that received a new beginning a few years back, so does a newly married couple on this warm, late-September evening.

Most things have a distinct life cycle, and when they’re done — they’re done. As humans, our time may be up with a friend, a significant other, a job or a trip, but we often have the power to reinvent ourselves if we wish. We might’ve been through some rough patches or trying times, but we can come out clean on the other side if we put our minds to it.

When there’s a new beginning, we have a clean slate. And regardless of the myriad ways those beginnings can come around, I’m thankful for them. Time to embrace a new start means time to take a deep breath and enjoy the beginning — again.