“Regardless of your past, your future is a clean slate.” -Author Unknown
“There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” -C. S. Lewis (Clive Staples Lewis (1898 - 1963))
No longer forward nor behind
I look in hope and fear;
But grateful take the good I find,
The best of now and here.
-John Greenleaf Whittier (1807 - 1892): “My Psalm” (1859)
“Never be ashamed of a scar. It simply means you were stronger than whatever tried to hurt you.” -Author Unknown
“The people and places and circumstances that broke you will not be the ones that fix you. You must find something else.” -David Hugh Beaumont (born 1966)
“It has been said that time heals all wounds. I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue, and the pain lessens, but it is never gone.” -Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy (1890 - 1995)
“The past . . . We may strive, with good reason, to escape it, or to escape what is bad in it, but we will escape it only by adding something better to it.” -Wendell Berry (Wendell Erdman Berry (born 1934))
“Look back, and smile on perils past.” -Walter Scott (1771 - 1832)
“I am better than I was. I’ll be better than I am.” -Author Unknown
“Your past doesn’t define you. Every day is an opportunity to begin again.” -Author Unknown
“Some doors are best left closed.” -George R. R. Martin (George Raymond Richard Martin (born 1948))
“There is so much to forget . . .” -David Hugh Beaumont (born 1966)
“Forgetting is the cost of living cheerfully.” -Zoë Akins (Zoë Byrd Akins (1886 - 1958))
“I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.” -Maya Angelou (Marguerite Ann Johnson (1928 - 2014))
For lo, the winter is past,
the rain is over and gone;
the flowers appear on the earth;
the time of the singing of birds is come,
and the voice of the turtledove
is heard in our land.
-Author Unknown: “The Bible,” ‘Song of Solomon,’ chapter 2, verses 11 and 12
“I admire people who choose to shine even after all the storms they’ve been through.” -Author Unknown
“As memory may be a Paradise from which we cannot be driven, it may also be a Hell from which we cannot escape.” -John Lancaster Spalding (1840 - 1916)
Some Examples of People with Difficult Pasts
- Post-Traumatic Stress Survivors
- Child Abuse Survivors
- Domestic Abuse Survivors
- Traumatic Incident Survivors
- Long-term Trauma Survivors
- Abduction Survivors
- Hostage Survivors
- Crime Victims
- Can you add to this list?
“Make peace with your past so that it doesn’t spoil your present.” -Author Unknown
“Life is a weird journey.” -Author Unknown: “The Pretender” (1996 - 2000), ‘Nip and Tuck’ (6 December 1997); line spoken by fictional character Jerod; type of work: television series
“Whenever you find yourself doubting how far you can go, just remember how far you have come. Remember everything you have faced, all the battles you have won, and all the fears you have overcome.” -Author Unknown
Re-examine what you have been taught;
Discard what wounds your soul.
-Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892)
“Smile and let everyone know that today, you are a lot stronger than you were yesterday.” -Author Unknown
“Maybe it’s not always about trying to fix something broken. Maybe it’s about starting over and creating something better.” -Author Unknown
“The past cannot be changed, but the future is still in your power.” -Hugh White
“One of the things which danger does to you after a time is -, well, to kill emotion. I don’t think I shall ever feel anything again except fear. None of us can hate anymore - or love.” -Graham Greene (1904 - 1991): “The Confidential Agent” (1939)
“A difficult past does not mean the difficulties are past . . . years and decades later, we may still live with the effects. And, if that is the case, then the only way we can ever get past the difficulties of the past is by some actions we ourselves must take.” -David Hugh Beaumont (born 1966)
“What happened in the past that was painful has a great deal to do with what we are today.” -William Glasser (1925 - 2013)
Live in the Present
One day at a time
this is enough.
Do not look back
and grieve over the past
for it is gone;
and do not be troubled
about the future
for it has not yet come.
Live in the present
and make it so beautiful
that it will be worth
remembering!
by Author Unknown
“A drowning man will grab even the point of a sword.” -Author Unknown
“It won’t do you any good to run if you’re running the wrong way.” -Author Unknown
“There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.” -C. S. Lewis (Clive Staples Lewis (1898 - 1963))
No longer forward nor behind
I look in hope and fear;
But grateful take the good I find,
The best of now and here.
-John Greenleaf Whittier (1807 - 1892): “My Psalm” (1859)
“Never be ashamed of a scar. It simply means you were stronger than whatever tried to hurt you.” -Author Unknown
“The people and places and circumstances that broke you will not be the ones that fix you. You must find something else.” -David Hugh Beaumont (born 1966)
“It has been said that time heals all wounds. I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue, and the pain lessens, but it is never gone.” -Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy (1890 - 1995)
“The past . . . We may strive, with good reason, to escape it, or to escape what is bad in it, but we will escape it only by adding something better to it.” -Wendell Berry (Wendell Erdman Berry (born 1934))
“Look back, and smile on perils past.” -Walter Scott (1771 - 1832)
“I am better than I was. I’ll be better than I am.” -Author Unknown
“Your past doesn’t define you. Every day is an opportunity to begin again.” -Author Unknown
“Some doors are best left closed.” -George R. R. Martin (George Raymond Richard Martin (born 1948))
“There is so much to forget . . .” -David Hugh Beaumont (born 1966)
“Forgetting is the cost of living cheerfully.” -Zoë Akins (Zoë Byrd Akins (1886 - 1958))
“I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.” -Maya Angelou (Marguerite Ann Johnson (1928 - 2014))
For lo, the winter is past,
the rain is over and gone;
the flowers appear on the earth;
the time of the singing of birds is come,
and the voice of the turtledove
is heard in our land.
-Author Unknown: “The Bible,” ‘Song of Solomon,’ chapter 2, verses 11 and 12
“I admire people who choose to shine even after all the storms they’ve been through.” -Author Unknown
“As memory may be a Paradise from which we cannot be driven, it may also be a Hell from which we cannot escape.” -John Lancaster Spalding (1840 - 1916)
Some Examples of People with Difficult Pasts
- Post-Traumatic Stress Survivors
- Child Abuse Survivors
- Domestic Abuse Survivors
- Traumatic Incident Survivors
- Long-term Trauma Survivors
- Abduction Survivors
- Hostage Survivors
- Crime Victims
- Can you add to this list?
“Make peace with your past so that it doesn’t spoil your present.” -Author Unknown
“Life is a weird journey.” -Author Unknown: “The Pretender” (1996 - 2000), ‘Nip and Tuck’ (6 December 1997); line spoken by fictional character Jerod; type of work: television series
“Whenever you find yourself doubting how far you can go, just remember how far you have come. Remember everything you have faced, all the battles you have won, and all the fears you have overcome.” -Author Unknown
Re-examine what you have been taught;
Discard what wounds your soul.
-Walt Whitman (1819 - 1892)
“Smile and let everyone know that today, you are a lot stronger than you were yesterday.” -Author Unknown
“Maybe it’s not always about trying to fix something broken. Maybe it’s about starting over and creating something better.” -Author Unknown
“The past cannot be changed, but the future is still in your power.” -Hugh White
“One of the things which danger does to you after a time is -, well, to kill emotion. I don’t think I shall ever feel anything again except fear. None of us can hate anymore - or love.” -Graham Greene (1904 - 1991): “The Confidential Agent” (1939)
“A difficult past does not mean the difficulties are past . . . years and decades later, we may still live with the effects. And, if that is the case, then the only way we can ever get past the difficulties of the past is by some actions we ourselves must take.” -David Hugh Beaumont (born 1966)
“What happened in the past that was painful has a great deal to do with what we are today.” -William Glasser (1925 - 2013)
Live in the Present
One day at a time
this is enough.
Do not look back
and grieve over the past
for it is gone;
and do not be troubled
about the future
for it has not yet come.
Live in the present
and make it so beautiful
that it will be worth
remembering!
by Author Unknown
“A drowning man will grab even the point of a sword.” -Author Unknown
“It won’t do you any good to run if you’re running the wrong way.” -Author Unknown
“Running away from your past without a place to go is a race you can never win because it never ends. You will always be worn down and remain broken if that is what you continue to do. You must instead try to find temporary safety and sanctuary, places where you can build yourself up and grow strong. Stop running, long enough to look around for something to run toward, because none of us can run forever. You must find the places where you can build a life for yourself.” -David Hugh Beaumont (born 1966)
“The best way to forget the bad things in life is to learn to remember the good things.” -Mark Amend
“You will find it is necessary to let things go; simply for the reason that they are too heavy.” -Corrie ten Boom (Cornelia ‘Corrie’ ten Boom (1892 - 1983))
“There are chapters in every life which are seldom read and certainly not aloud.” -Carol Shields (Carol Ann Shields (1935 - 2003))
“Your past is not your identity . . . You, living now, is your identity.” -George Lawrence-Ell (born 1940): “The Invisible Clock” (February 2002)
“You may not be where you want to be, but you can look back and be thankful you’re not where you used to be.” -Joel Osteen (born 1963)
“I’ve had so many knives stuck into me, when they hand me a flower I can’t quite make out what it is. It takes time.” -Charles Bukowski (1920 - 1994): “Sarcasm from the Balcony” (5 June 1993)
“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.” -Carl Bard
“It doesn’t matter where you’ve been, only where you are going.” -L. M. Fields
“Don’t judge me by my past. I don’t live there anymore.” -Author Unknown
“Think forward! Concentrate on who you want to be and where you want to go, not on who you were or where you’ve been.” -Michael Josephson (born 1942)
“Someone once asked me how I hold my head up so high after all I have been through. I said it’s because no matter what, I am a survivor, not a victim.” -Patricia Buckley (Patricia Aldyen Austin Taylor Buckley (1926 - 2007))
“The past does not define you, the present does.” -Jillian Michaels
“Your past doesn’t determine your future.” -Mike Litman
“I know well what I am fleeing from but not what I am in search of.” -Michel de Montaigne (Michel Eyquem de Montaigne (1533 - 1592)): “Essais” (“Essays”) (March 1580), Book 3, chapter 9
“I’ve never met a strong person with an easy past.” -Author Unknown
“The past does not have to be your prison. You have a choice in your destiny. You have a say in your life. You have a choice in the path you take.” -Max Lucado (born 1955): “When God Whispers Your Name” (1994)
[Predestiny and Free-Will]
“That which cannot be repaired is not to be regretted.” -Samuel Johnson (1709 - 1784): “Rasselas” (1759), chapter IV
“If you let go of the past, it no longer has a hold on you.” -Author Unknown
“There is a way to look at the past. Don’t hide from it. It will not catch you - if you don’t repeat it.” -Pearl Bailey (Pearl Mae Bailey (1918 - 1990))
“When looking back doesn’t interest you anymore, you’re doing something right.” -Author Unknown
“Sometimes the nightmares and panic only stop after we let go of the past, only after we are far away from it in time and space, after we have changed everything about ourselves and our lives.” -David Hugh Beaumont (born 1966)
“I cannot change yesterday, but I can change today.” -Author Unknown
“Sometimes I wish I could go back and tell myself what I know now.” -Author Unknown
“Living from fears created as a result of your past will just weigh you down. Just because something bad happened before, doesn’t mean it will again.” -Lisa Prosen
“I learned . . . that one can never go back, that one should not ever try to go back - that the essence of life is going forward. Life is really a one-way street, isn’t it?” -Agatha Christie (Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie (1890 - 1976))
“Do not let the future be held hostage by the past.” -Neal A. Maxwell (Neal Ash Maxwell (1926 - 2004))
“The past has no power over the present moment.” -Eckhart Tolle (born as Ulrich Leonard Tölle (born 1948))
“There comes a point when it’s best to stop trying to make sense out of things that just don’t make any sense.” -Author Unknown
“Some of us think holding on makes us strong; but sometimes it is letting go.” -Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962)
“To get over the past, you first have to accept that the past is over. No matter how many times you revisit it, analyze it, regret it, or sweat it . . . it’s over. It can hurt you no more.” -Mandy Hale (born 1978)
“Stop holding on to what hurts. Reach for what makes you feel happy.” -Author Unknown
“How you see your future is much more important than what has happened in the past.” -Zig Ziglar (Hilary Hinton ‘Zig’ Ziglar (1926 - 2012))
“We do not heal the past by dwelling there. We heal the past by living in the present.” -Marianne Williamson (born 1952)
“From the ashes of your past come the bright stars of your future.” -Melvin Lewis Thomas
“The farther behind I leave the past, the closer I am to forging my own character.” -Isabelle Eberhardt (Isabelle Wilhelmine Marie Eberhardt (1877 - 1904))
“Forget what hurt you, but never forget what it taught you.” -Author Unknown
“We are stronger in the places we have been broken.” -Ernest Hemingway (Ernest Miller Hemingway (1899 - 1961))
“Do not let the past hold you back; you will miss all the good stuff.” -Author Unknown
“We all have stories we won’t ever tell.” -Author Unknown
“I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become.” -C. G. Jung (Carl Gustav Jung (1875 - 1961))
“Perhaps we have lost the lesson of a Biblical event. When Lot’s wife turned to look back, she was turned into a pillar of salt, and any of us likewise can be immobilized by spending too much time considering the past - trying to figure out its meaning, wondering what might have been had it all been different, trying to answer why things happen to some people and not to others. We must not allow ourselves to be turned into forever frozen pillars of contemplation; we instead must go ever forward with our lives.” -David Hugh Beaumont (born 1966)
“Do not look back with regret; look forward with hope.” -Author Unknown
“You never get to fix the past. All you can do is to get as far away from it as possible.” -Elizabeth Blair
“The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you cannot go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.” -Author Unknown
“If you focus on what you have left behind, you will never be able to see what lies ahead.” -Author Unknown
“It may take time, but I will learn to love myself.” -Author Unknown
“There’s no reason to look back when you have so much to look forward to.” -Author Unknown
“Whatever your past has been, you have a spotless future.” -Melanie Gustafson
“In thinking back, I wish I could go back, and fix all the wrongs and make everything right and wonderful for everyone, yet I know none of this is possible. So, I am looking forward and imagining what could be . . . and working hard in the present to try to make that imagined future into a real one . . .” -David Hugh Beaumont (born 1966)
“Forget the past and live the present hour.” -Sarah Knowles Bolton (1841 - 1916)
“Shut out all of your past except that which will help you weather your tomorrows.” -William Osler (1849 - 1919)
“Don’t be bitter about your past. Just do all you can to make your present and future better.” -Author Unknown
“If you must look back, do so forgivingly. If you must look forward, do so prayerfully. However, the wisest thing you can do is be present in the present . . . Gratefully.” -Maya Angelou (Marguerite Ann Johnson (1928 - 2014))
What a long, strange journey it has been - but no matter what your past, your future can be one of opportunities and possibilities . . . and your future begins this very moment . . . and continues anew in each moment that follows. This is ‘MFOL!’ . . . we are always here . . . so you can visit whenever you like.
“The best way to forget the bad things in life is to learn to remember the good things.” -Mark Amend
“You will find it is necessary to let things go; simply for the reason that they are too heavy.” -Corrie ten Boom (Cornelia ‘Corrie’ ten Boom (1892 - 1983))
“There are chapters in every life which are seldom read and certainly not aloud.” -Carol Shields (Carol Ann Shields (1935 - 2003))
“Your past is not your identity . . . You, living now, is your identity.” -George Lawrence-Ell (born 1940): “The Invisible Clock” (February 2002)
“You may not be where you want to be, but you can look back and be thankful you’re not where you used to be.” -Joel Osteen (born 1963)
“I’ve had so many knives stuck into me, when they hand me a flower I can’t quite make out what it is. It takes time.” -Charles Bukowski (1920 - 1994): “Sarcasm from the Balcony” (5 June 1993)
“Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new ending.” -Carl Bard
“It doesn’t matter where you’ve been, only where you are going.” -L. M. Fields
“Don’t judge me by my past. I don’t live there anymore.” -Author Unknown
“Think forward! Concentrate on who you want to be and where you want to go, not on who you were or where you’ve been.” -Michael Josephson (born 1942)
“Someone once asked me how I hold my head up so high after all I have been through. I said it’s because no matter what, I am a survivor, not a victim.” -Patricia Buckley (Patricia Aldyen Austin Taylor Buckley (1926 - 2007))
“The past does not define you, the present does.” -Jillian Michaels
“Your past doesn’t determine your future.” -Mike Litman
“I know well what I am fleeing from but not what I am in search of.” -Michel de Montaigne (Michel Eyquem de Montaigne (1533 - 1592)): “Essais” (“Essays”) (March 1580), Book 3, chapter 9
“I’ve never met a strong person with an easy past.” -Author Unknown
“The past does not have to be your prison. You have a choice in your destiny. You have a say in your life. You have a choice in the path you take.” -Max Lucado (born 1955): “When God Whispers Your Name” (1994)
[Predestiny and Free-Will]
“That which cannot be repaired is not to be regretted.” -Samuel Johnson (1709 - 1784): “Rasselas” (1759), chapter IV
“If you let go of the past, it no longer has a hold on you.” -Author Unknown
“There is a way to look at the past. Don’t hide from it. It will not catch you - if you don’t repeat it.” -Pearl Bailey (Pearl Mae Bailey (1918 - 1990))
“When looking back doesn’t interest you anymore, you’re doing something right.” -Author Unknown
“Sometimes the nightmares and panic only stop after we let go of the past, only after we are far away from it in time and space, after we have changed everything about ourselves and our lives.” -David Hugh Beaumont (born 1966)
“I cannot change yesterday, but I can change today.” -Author Unknown
“Sometimes I wish I could go back and tell myself what I know now.” -Author Unknown
“Living from fears created as a result of your past will just weigh you down. Just because something bad happened before, doesn’t mean it will again.” -Lisa Prosen
“I learned . . . that one can never go back, that one should not ever try to go back - that the essence of life is going forward. Life is really a one-way street, isn’t it?” -Agatha Christie (Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie (1890 - 1976))
“Do not let the future be held hostage by the past.” -Neal A. Maxwell (Neal Ash Maxwell (1926 - 2004))
“The past has no power over the present moment.” -Eckhart Tolle (born as Ulrich Leonard Tölle (born 1948))
“There comes a point when it’s best to stop trying to make sense out of things that just don’t make any sense.” -Author Unknown
“Some of us think holding on makes us strong; but sometimes it is letting go.” -Hermann Hesse (1877 - 1962)
“To get over the past, you first have to accept that the past is over. No matter how many times you revisit it, analyze it, regret it, or sweat it . . . it’s over. It can hurt you no more.” -Mandy Hale (born 1978)
“Stop holding on to what hurts. Reach for what makes you feel happy.” -Author Unknown
“How you see your future is much more important than what has happened in the past.” -Zig Ziglar (Hilary Hinton ‘Zig’ Ziglar (1926 - 2012))
“We do not heal the past by dwelling there. We heal the past by living in the present.” -Marianne Williamson (born 1952)
“From the ashes of your past come the bright stars of your future.” -Melvin Lewis Thomas
“The farther behind I leave the past, the closer I am to forging my own character.” -Isabelle Eberhardt (Isabelle Wilhelmine Marie Eberhardt (1877 - 1904))
“Forget what hurt you, but never forget what it taught you.” -Author Unknown
“We are stronger in the places we have been broken.” -Ernest Hemingway (Ernest Miller Hemingway (1899 - 1961))
“Do not let the past hold you back; you will miss all the good stuff.” -Author Unknown
“We all have stories we won’t ever tell.” -Author Unknown
“I am not what happened to me. I am what I choose to become.” -C. G. Jung (Carl Gustav Jung (1875 - 1961))
“Perhaps we have lost the lesson of a Biblical event. When Lot’s wife turned to look back, she was turned into a pillar of salt, and any of us likewise can be immobilized by spending too much time considering the past - trying to figure out its meaning, wondering what might have been had it all been different, trying to answer why things happen to some people and not to others. We must not allow ourselves to be turned into forever frozen pillars of contemplation; we instead must go ever forward with our lives.” -David Hugh Beaumont (born 1966)
“Do not look back with regret; look forward with hope.” -Author Unknown
“You never get to fix the past. All you can do is to get as far away from it as possible.” -Elizabeth Blair
“The brightest future will always be based on a forgotten past; you cannot go forward in life until you let go of your past failures and heartaches.” -Author Unknown
“If you focus on what you have left behind, you will never be able to see what lies ahead.” -Author Unknown
“It may take time, but I will learn to love myself.” -Author Unknown
“There’s no reason to look back when you have so much to look forward to.” -Author Unknown
“Whatever your past has been, you have a spotless future.” -Melanie Gustafson
“In thinking back, I wish I could go back, and fix all the wrongs and make everything right and wonderful for everyone, yet I know none of this is possible. So, I am looking forward and imagining what could be . . . and working hard in the present to try to make that imagined future into a real one . . .” -David Hugh Beaumont (born 1966)
“Forget the past and live the present hour.” -Sarah Knowles Bolton (1841 - 1916)
“Shut out all of your past except that which will help you weather your tomorrows.” -William Osler (1849 - 1919)
“Don’t be bitter about your past. Just do all you can to make your present and future better.” -Author Unknown
“If you must look back, do so forgivingly. If you must look forward, do so prayerfully. However, the wisest thing you can do is be present in the present . . . Gratefully.” -Maya Angelou (Marguerite Ann Johnson (1928 - 2014))
What a long, strange journey it has been - but no matter what your past, your future can be one of opportunities and possibilities . . . and your future begins this very moment . . . and continues anew in each moment that follows. This is ‘MFOL!’ . . . we are always here . . . so you can visit whenever you like.
