Power of the Past

This week’s inspiration comes from the past and from some very special people who “knew me when.”

In the span of 48 hours, I spoke to a group of over 700 “cousins,” alumni connected by the Morehead-Cain scholarship we received at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill;

found my book at the UNC Student Store bookstore;

and gave a book talk to an audience of family and friends who traveled from nine different cities, up to three hours away.

It was a weekend of peaks and valleys, an emotional roller-coaster.

We laughed. We cried. We reminisced.

It was awesome.

One college roommate flew to Baltimore to drive me six hours to UNC while another college roommate drove me home and flew back the next day. My book talk audience included my precious 83-year-old Uncle Bob, his wife, and their daughter; two kindergarten classmates; a grade-school buddy and subsequent IBM colleague; a high school classmate; and six college friends and an unforgettable wrestling coach (and his beautiful wife) I met when I was 18 years old. Most knew my father, my brother, and our family when we were still five.

I’m exhausted but filled with a new appreciation of the power of the past.

“Don’t look back,” is an oft-heard phrase. “Let the past pass,” we are coached, especially when going through difficult times. “Keep moving,” we’re told. “You can get stuck in your past if you keep looking back.”

Maybe.

Maybe not.

Linking the past with the present can be a powerful connection, I discovered. Snippets of who we were can spark new dreams of who we still can be.

We shared. We encouraged. We vowed to stay in touch.

They say you are as strong as the people you have in your life and the experiences that you share.

Amen to that.

Let’s go!

The dreams you had, the ones that didn’t come true, can be safely brought back to life with people who shared your past and want to share your future, despite the setbacks and failures.

Surprisingly, a strange restorative energy begins to settle in as you realize that you have been both affirmed and inspired. Then a new perspective of gratitude starts to color your outlook as you recognize that despite the years and the distance, you are not alone; you are still remembered; you are forever connected through the power of the past.

How about you? Have you experienced the power of the past in a positive way? Tell me about it. I’d love to know.

P.S. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers as I have navigated through my crazy schedule. I may still be a bit dizzy and disoriented, but I am learning to rest in my own experience of kairos versus chronos.

P.P.S. Up next: Pathfinders for Autism Fashion Show, Saturday, November 3, 2018. Still time to buy tickets or donate HERE. And, I’ll be in Philadelphia on November 15, 2018. More details and info below.

OUT AND ABOUT WITH BECKY