What Kind of Spin?

We're on spring break around here, and it's been great weather--just what you'd order at a drive-thru weather request center if you could--70-degrees and sunny all day. What a difference from April 1st when it was snowing.

The kiddos are off school so we took a drive yesterday and visited our old hometown. Wow, the changes--a bustling city has sprung up, and there are a gazillion houses where there used to be huge yards and groves of trees. Needless to say, it wasn't a happy sight. At least for me. I like quiet, country settings. That's part of my personality, so to see all the houses and busy-ness made me ache for our new neighborhood of quiet homes, large yards and trees.


We also swung past my daughter's old school. Drove through the circle drive where I used to drop her off as a 1st grader. Oh, wow. That was nearly 10 years ago now. Ten. The ache started to grow. But then it hit me. I don't have to mourn the fact the past is over. I can celebrate where we are now. And boy do I. I'm abundantly grateful for our current home, in a new setting with quiet trees and no house butting against ours with windows like eyes peering into our backyard.

Our response depended on the spin we put on our experience yesterday and the experiences of the past. Our past was nice--no horrific memories or painful events to squelch, or regrets to manage. Instead, a few years of solitude before huge changes swept in. And now, a pleasant present to be thankful for. The mourning faded in light of gratitude. It's good to cut back to the past for a brief moment, catch the differences and let the present press back in. God was with us back then, and he's here with us now. He has promised to be with us in the future, too. So, like spinning the van around to head back to our current residence, off we go.