The Past

One cannot look at the future without remembering their past. As the New Year approaches, you think about the future and you measure how far you’ve come by looking back on the past.
The past is much more than a mile marker of your life. When you sit and think of the past you will piece together who you are at this moment. You will remember school, the kids you hung around with, every special occasion and who was there and all the ups and downs of growing up. Each and every experience molded you to who you are today.
Those who were close to our hearts, those who taught us some of the hardest lessons, and those who are not with us anymore have taught us so much. This is a past that you carry with you, always.
To me, the past is a present which you can unwrap any time you wish. The past is magical as it changes who you once were into who you are now. The past can take the most damaging of situations and look at it with hope, happiness and lessons learned of today.
The past is nothing to bury. You take those changed moments, those self-reliant moments and the dreams of yesterday into our tomorrows. Have you ever spoken to a child about someone who was so special to you and who has parted from the world? A child can read so much from your facial expressions; they can pick up on all the love, sorrow and happiness that you felt. When you talk to that child you are in the past, reliving some of the experiences that you’ve had. As the child reads your face and hears your voice they know the love and will question the loss.
As we look to our future, we will carry some of our past. We will take the lessons learned from our mistakes with us. We will be kinder and more compassionate as we have seen and felt strife. Within every country; within every man, woman and child there is good. Let us be reminded of this daily, when bad things happen let us not forget. Let love, hope and happiness not be something of the past, but in all of our todays and in the future.
I shed a tear for some who are not here. I think of the past and the memories come flooding back. Oh, if I could just hug you one more time. If I could just sit with you, I would have so much to say. If I just see your face, or hear your voice! The past comes flooding back. I carry your memory within my soul; you are a part of my yesterday’s, todays and tomorrows. I draw from you all the strength and love that I need to carry me forward. With each lesson you taught me, I will carry them on. The sound of your laughter will echo in my heart forever and I will laugh loud and as often as possible. The way you touched my heart, I will in turn reach out to others. I am grateful for the memories of the past, for they have taught me how to live today.
Wishing you peace, love and prosperity today and always!