There is always before and after.
Before a cup of morning coffee and after.
Before the wreckage and after.
Before the too-big slice of chocolate cake … and after.
Before the birth of a child, before the heartbreak, before the buds emerge on the trees to signal yet another springtime on the way … and after.
Before sitting in the shade of Aspen groves, before standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon, before stepping into the presence of Winged Victory, David, or Venus de Milo.
Before the last time you heard “I love you, too.”
… and perhaps in-between there is a moment, even a long moment, when we might step into a community so full of love, compassion, and understanding … a space in which we might safely and gently take apart the pieces of our lives. Sensing what they each offer, and then with all the tenderness we can muster, place them back together.
… and perhaps there are no rules to tell you that you have to put the pieces back together in quite the same arrangement … or that, in fact, you have to put them all back together at all. Perhaps you give yourself permission to integrate facets of your new experiences, cushioning your heart with a clump of green moss or allowing the vibrant blue sky to become the sparkle in your eye.
Maybe there are parts of you, left on a rocky altar which appeared in your path. Energy, which is neither good nor bad … left there to fade back into Mother Earth, to serve those who walk behind you.
There is always before and after. There always has been. There always will be.
In-between, is this moment … standing between before and after … when we get to choose.
This moment when we’ll choose whether we’ll simply know that fields full of wildflowers exist, or whether we’ll decide to take them deeply into our being … fragrance, color, ladybugs, sunshine … and all!
In this moment, the choice is yours, love ~ and it always will be. In this moment between before and after.
With gratitude, I wish you peace in this moment ~
Love,
Beautifully written piece. I sometimes wonder where you came from. Wonderful analogies of Before and After which take you into the heart of the now.
Ha! Sometimes I wonder where I came from, too! 🙂
Peace mama! <3
Jane, I can hear the peace with in and around you… you have found a good place to be.. I am so happy for you.
Jane,
BEFORE you wrote this post… I didn’t think too much about a lot of the things you wrote about. But, now, AFTER you’ve written it and posted it for all to see, I am thinking about the many examples you’ve given us and looking at the before/after a little differently.
Your words are so true. Nothing stays the same ~ sometimes this is good and sometimes it’s bad. But how we react to those changes is what matters.
You are a beautiful writer, Jane.
Thank you, Audrey ~ and you are a beautiful friend. Every moment matters ~ we can all get lost in the day to day … especially when we have so much on our plates. When we can, it’s good to remember that this moment is really the only one we have. How shall we spend it … and where will it lead?
Take special good care ~
Jane
Thank you, Rosemary, for stopping by ~ always so good to hear from you. My world is filled with so much goodness ~ I need only choose to receive it <3
Take good care ~
Jane
Standing in between…
<3
Once I attended a business conference where I heard a man speak of three different ways we view, or speak, of things. They were:
1. “How it used to be”, Memories are served up sweetened too much. It was all pretty good back then, wasn’t it?
2. “As Soon As”, looking forward to when we’re out of debt, kids are grown, I get that promotion, beautiful retirement.
3. “Never Here and Now”,
“This minute I’m living is what really matters
not planning tomorrow’s life songs;
not looking back at yesterday’s glory
for time keeps on ticking along.”
. . .
JSB
Living in the moment is sometimes the hardest, and the easiest way to be ~
Love you!