Past, present, and future

My oldest enrolled in college this week. Her journey away from home begins this Fall.

It took a second when I saw the picture below to recall details from long ago. We lived in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Our home was small but cozy, with a wood-burning fireplace as the main feature of the living room. There was a wood deck out back overlooking a gently sloping and long backyard that made for perfect sledding conditions. I remember frustrating my family as I obsessed over the instructions to the car seat… every time we used it. I can hear the looping music that always played at the carousel in the Willow Grove Park mall. I can still taste the rugelach we would get from the local bakery and sneak into the Sunny Willow Swim Club.

It is natural to be filled with longing memories, especially as I think of the road ahead which will inevitably take all of my children farther and farther from me. But such is life, and a wonderful such at that. I am energized by shifting my focus to living the present and remembering that today will be a memory one day too. One day, I will see pictures from this summer and think back to when my daughter went to college, and how I savored every moment I was given all along the way.

—> Take the weekend to think of recent life events that have triggered deep longing for times or circumstances in the past. Give yourself grace by accepting those emotions. Then, ask yourself what you can do to help ensure you look back at the present and know you did your best… today.