Remember When...?
I was thinking this morning, as I was listening to a song that made me cry ("Remember When" by Alan Jackson) about regrets of the past. This song paints a portrait of a lifetime making memories, raising kids and living through it all in a bittersweet way. I thought of my own life as well as my husband's. It has NOT been a bed of roses, rather, it was mostly thorns. But as I told him, here and there, if one looked hard enough, was a rose worthy of all the thorns. One can't just look back in regret and feel the pain without also seeing the beauty of the struggle that took place. If I had stayed in my abusive marriage, I would have missed the one opportunity that would have presented itself to find the most wonderful best friend I ever could have had. Had he not been divorced, he would have missed an opportunity to save a little girl at that time as well as 20 years later. You can't always dwell on the hurt without seeing the good in it also. Move forward, I say, to move forward is better than moving ON. To move ON means you are done with it, never look back. To go forward means that it is ok to look back, but only as a guidepost to where you are now headed. Does that make sense? However, there will be tears, there will be sorrow and it is OK to see them, to feel them, but it is also OK to bid them goodbye, they have served their purpose, now set them free. Live in the present and find the beauty around you. Remember when.........?
Oh my...such a beautiful blogposting! You made me cry!! I had to go to youtube and look up that song and it now will stick with me forever. We are a gift to our children, what they give back is their gift to us.I can see what my life "would have been like" had it worked out "as I had planned." But I am so glad for the bends and turns, because as you said, there is a silver lining in every dark cloud.
ReplyDeleteThat song made ME cry as well. My past was no picnic by any means...but you have to look at the tiny things sometimes to get the real joy out of the fact that you survived, despite the odds being against you. I think that having a mentor is what made me resilient enough to know I would not make the same mistakes I saw others make. That to me is nothing short of a miracle. I am learning to believe in miracles. Thanks Rev Baum (and rob) for that!
ReplyDelete