This past week, our son, T.J., had an English writing assignment 'if you could travel back in time or to the future, which would you choose, why and what would you want to see?' What a difficult question! And he thought so, too.
If I had to choose just one specific moment in time, I don't think I could. In our own lives, we each have our list of do-overs that, well....the list for me would be overwhelming. Moments in time I wish I could take back--either to relive or to return. Words spoken that shouldn't have been. Choices made--both good and bad. People I loved that are no longer here with me... The list is endless.
To see, to experience, to feel what we've only heard or read about...wow. That would be something, wouldn't it?
So rather than go back in time focusing on my life, I'd rather experience....
the birth of Christ or...discovering the Americas or....the signing of the Declaration of Independence or...Abraham Lincoln's Gettysburg Address or...coming as an immigrant to the United States and seeing the Statue of Liberty or...seeing Thomas Edison's face when he found the right filament for the electric light bulb or...again, the list is endless!
Still, to be a 'fly on the wall 'at my grandparents' weddings, to peek through the small country church window to hear my mom and dad say, "I do..." Goosebumps.
Reflecting on the past can be a healthy and beneficial process. We can learn from our mistakes, relish in our successes and hopefully take the best of both to make a better future for ourselves and others. The older I become, the more I realize how precious time is. Because unlike movies and books, once time is gone, it's gone forever.
So today as I watch our 18 year-old daughter dry her long brown hair, I remember how I wished she had at least a few long strands to gather for a pink bow! College-bound, wide-eyed, innocent and my shining star, I am reminded, again, of time and of God's precious gift called the present.
Amen.
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