Looking Backward

     I consider myself to be forward thinking and I hate to look backward.  It seems to be so counterproductive to a focused, positive and joyful life.  I have known people who used the past as an important player in the games of regret and blame. Why would a forward thinking person looking for joy ever want to look toward the past?
     It has been said that those who do not remember the past (history) are condemned to repeat it. Something that is broken needs to be fixed and someone offended needs to forgive.  Yet how can we do that without drowning in remorse?
     Reflection and meditation are powerful tools to make improvements in life.  What did I do right and what did I do wrong?  How can I make a situation better and find success?
     Today is our twenty-eighth anniversary.  It was a sunny, snowy Saturday in February very much like today that we made those vows to love and honor. I was lying on my bed basking in the sunshine today, when my son came it to talk.  I started telling him about our wedding day.  I told him about the beauty of the day, the details of the story, our hopes and our expectations for out lives.   Somehow it was like pushing the reset button or rebooting (not rebutting) a computer. In revisiting the expectations, I found myself feeling very hopeful and full of joy. Anniversaries, holy days, holidays are like that. We remember the past to reset and  reboot  (not rebut).  Looking back reminds us of who we are and how we can find a joyful future in refocusing.