Tag: past

Posted in Bloganuary, Stories

Flipping back and forth between the past and the future

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Aaron Burden on Unsplash
Daily writing prompt
Do you spend more time thinking about the future or the past? Why?
View all responses

That’s a great question. I want to say I think more about the future. After all, who wants to be mired in the past? But in reality, I’ll bet I spend more time thinking about the past.

My daily journaling/writing habit is to blame. Early each morning, I jot down what happened the day before, and then lay out the things I want to or need to do today. At that instant, I’m balanced between the past and the future. I try to come up with a list of ten things I could write about for my blog. These ideas come from the past, whether it’s something that made me laugh yesterday or a flashback from my childhood. The people I think about are ones I’ve talked to or done things with, not those I’ve yet to meet. I smile at photos on my phone that I took yesterday, moments from the past.

But then those thoughts will be interrupted by the future as I think of and jot down things I need to do, stuff I need to purchase, or people I need to talk to. A quick check of email alerts me to upcoming events I add to my calendar. A voice from the other room reminds me of our upcoming departure time. The future finds a way to elbow its way into my thoughts.

Conversations over morning coffee or a meal usually begin in the past. But they never stay there for long. How was your day? How did you sleep? How was your appointment? Did you remember to call him? Oops, no, I forgot. I’ll do it today. (Hello, future. You made it.) What do you want to do today? If you go to the store, don’t forget to get some of this and one of that. And just like that, future takes the reins of our thoughts.

Because of this prompt, I’ll be more aware of my thoughts as they flip from the past to the future and back again. What should I write about?” (Future) I’ll write about what happened yesterday. (Past) And then I’ll go get something to eat. (Future)

I believe the real challenge is to think about the present. To notice, savor, and remember the moment. Don’t let the past or the future crowd out the experience of right now.

Posted in friends, Ministry

A great friend from the past

Posted on by William Douthwaite
Photo by Nina Conte on Unsplash

I had the most pleasant surprise yesterday. After the noon Ash Wednesday worship service, I was hanging around talking to my organist when I caught sight of a man I didn’t recognize walking through the narthex. Nothing out of the ordinary. People wander in all the time. I walked up and introduced myself, and as he shook my hand he said, “Jim Werner.”

Wait a minute. This name is familiar. This name is in the mental database. OMG, Jim Werner. I shared a house with him thirty-eight years ago in Neptune, NJ. Are you kidding? No way? That’s a name from like three lifetimes ago. Yep, it was Jim. He was on his way to Jacksonville, looked me up, stopped by and by the grace of God found me.

Suddenly, a flood of memories from my past overwhelmed me. In 1980, with a whole year of experience of work at Bell Labs under my belt, Jim asked if I would like to share a house with him. Apartment life wasn’t working out very well for me, so I jumped at the opportunity. Jim was a fellow tenor in the choir with me. His family was an influential part of the church Less rent for me. A more affordable home for him. A win-win.

That opportunity was a life-changer in many ways. I could get my first dog, a yellow lab named Gabriel who got along famously with Jim’s Irish setter named Shannon. Jim worked nights, I worked days, so we rarely saw each other during the week. His bright idea to buy a wood burning stove to heat the house afforded me the opportunity to learn how to operate a chain saw and cut and split firewood. I absolutely loved doing that.

I was running 70-80-90 miles a week in preparation for marathons while he had family and friends over to party. His supper would often be no more than a few slices of toast, while I ate a variety of vegetables. Both of us slept on mattresses on the floor because neither one of us had a bed frame. Hey, it was comfortable.

Jim’s family (mom and dad plus three sisters) became my surrogate family as I learned how to live on my own. We were very different from each other, but were also very good for each other.

You never know who God is going to put in your life to help shape your future. But somehow, he always knows who you’ll need.