Days 23-27 – Changing the Past – Journal of Sacred Work

"Change" signs like the ones in the photograph remind me of the cartoon picturing a woman asking a priest for two fives for a ten. The priest says, "Change comes from within."

What a lucky truth. We may not be able to change some people or circumstances outside us but we can change how we see both and our shared past.

We cannot alter historic events but we can, in effect, "change" our past by changing the lens through which we see it. Since perception determines our reality why not manage that?

Consider your turning point events.

Years ago I was fired from a job even though everyone agreed I & the organization had performed incredibly well. I felt betrayed by three people who I believed schemed to push me out for their personal benefit.

This conclusion became a personal "fact." A shiny "past" was exchanged for a smudged one.

My life grew better when I changed my past once again. This meant redefining hurtful behaviors as less personal & hard times as the natural results of success.

Similarly, some spouses distort thirty year marriages because of a perceived betrayal in the final year. They "change" their past by allowing a hard ending to shadow decades of happy occasions. Other spouses with similar experiences avoid this trap by honoring good memories rather than dwelling on final failures.

Our past is a library of books we wrote. Rewrite those books & you change your life.

"Change comes from within."

-Erie Chapman

Photograph by Erie

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Categories: Reflections, Holidays, Spirituality

Tags: caregivers, Change comes from within, changing the past, Erie Chapman Foundation

5 responses to “Days 23-27 – Changing the Past”

Terry Chapman

January 23, 2017 at 5:55 am

An original approach to changing how we evaluate the events of our lives! As I continue to write my life story, page by page, event by event, I am starting to realize that, perhaps, only a very few major events ever mattered in the larger context.
These include: my birth,the amazingly consistent love of my parents,a very adventurous childhood, college, US Naval Reserve duty at sea, fathering my sons Jonathan and Daniel, treasuring my Grand Daughters Emma and Wiley, earning a Ph.D.in adult education, finding Margaret my wife and soul mate, and being able to conjure up the very many wonderful faces of people I know and have known. Those faces, taken together, are all I need to sustain my further journey!
And maybe one more thing: the wonderful Brown Trout I caught with a home made trout fly this past summer. His shimmering presence “captured” a precious piece of what my life has been about and for his brief presence and mine as well, I humbly give thanks to God!

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Bobbye Terry

January 23, 2017 at 7:41 am

Very eloquent, Erie, as always! The article is full of truths. I often feel like my photo should be next to the word, “change,” in the dictionary. It seems as if we have shared some past experiences. Yet, as you say here, the bad experiences most often put us in a much better place. They are, in fact, what I like to call, “tornadic miracles.” After going through a really bad experience, one’s “house,” metaphorically, comes down on the Wicked Witch and you find out you were home all along. Within and in God’s arms-home is always there.

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Todd Meador

January 23, 2017 at 11:50 am

Thanks for the reminder Erie, I need to rewrite a few books in my past. What is the saying you always say? Where the mind goes, energy flows?

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bill

January 23, 2017 at 2:43 pm

an incredibly concise and insightful nugget of wisdom

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~liz Wessel

January 23, 2017 at 10:53 pm

A definitely agree, Erie with your words of wisdom. The lens through which we see shapes our world, yet, I have not thought about how this might re-frame and help to inform our past experiences and in essence bring healing. Thank you for another fine pearl of wisdom.
A recent encounter comes to mind because it was so poignant. I spoke to a daughter whose mother had just died the day before. I offered my sincere condolences and then I listened for a long time as she expressed the last days of her precious mom’s life through her lens. She seemed unable to co accept the natural unfolding of the end of life. He mom lived into her 90’s similar to my own mom and she died of the same medical condition. So I felt a kinship. What struck me to the core was when she said, “I failed my mom.” I affirmed her love and caregiving efforts of the past 10 years and to this she responded, ” but I was going for the Olympic gold.”
I hope she will not torture herself by thinking she failed her mother. Instead I hope she will remember all she was able to do for her.I hope I planted a seed of healing so that she may find peace as well.
Perhaps we all have a bit of s blind spot. I know I do and I pray each day for God to help me to see anew.

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