Past, Present or Future...Where do you live?

This was the topic of my very first Mosaic Covenant Group. It is an interesting topic. Everyone says "We should live in the present." "Focus on the moment." But I find great value in giving all three time frames equal attention.

The past is important to me because I can take things that happened in the past and learn from them. Do I want to do that again? That went horribly wrong, how could I have made it better? What can I do the next time that situation occurs to make things different? I will definitely not make that decision again!!! I think we can learn a great deal from the mistakes we make but it is important not to dwell on those mistakes. Recognize the mistake, analyze the mistake, learn the lesson it has to teach you and then move on. Of course let's not forget the good lessons from the past. The development of family traditions, the establishment of healthy habits, the friends we make. These are all ties to the past and it would definitely be sad to just forget them. Our past experiences help to define who we are today.

Being a mother and a homeschooler the future is something I think about often. We are always thinking about how the future will be and how the things we are doing now will affect the future. I will admit I don't think much about my own future but the future of the children is always on my mind. My goal is to provide them with as many opportunities and let them blaze their own path towards the future. I try very hard not to envision them as "grown ups" because I don't want MY vision of THEIR future to end up clouding or limiting THEIR vision of THEIR future. I try to keep my thoughts of the future in very broad, abstract terms.

But life being what it is, we live each day as it comes. Yes we have a plan but we aren't bound by it and if an opportunity presents itself we are going to take it. If we are tired we are going to rest. If we are board we are going to do something else.