Nostalgia: Handle with care

It's hard to reach forward and backward at the same time. Yet I fear that's the very thing we often try to do.

We say we're reaching forward, but the pull of nostalgia can tug at our hearts so strongly that we catch ourselves trying to make the world like it used to be rather than the way it ought to be, as if "used to be" and "ought to be" were exactly synonymous. The net effect of our exertions in life is often more backward than forward.

Nostalgia is a wonderful thing. But nostalgia must be handled with care. If we don't watch out, it can hinder us in our journey toward God.
Here are a few tips on enjoying the past in a helpful, healthful way.

• Whatever good may have been done previously, today is the only day any new activity can be done. We can enjoy the past, and we can certainly learn from it.
  
• We must learn to be grateful for the past without worshiping it. Having the right attitude toward past, present, and future is a matter of balance. Maintaining that balance requires making frequent adjustments.
  
  After all, our memories are quite selective, remembering a few pleasant things, and forgetting others that weren't so pleasant. So while the good old days may do our hearts good to ponder, they don't serve very well as a goal for the future.
  
  A thought for today: "If I cling to the past, the present becomes difficult and the future seems impossible".