Ahhhh, how wonderfully Divine Intelligence guides us, linking together seemingly unrelated experiences until we "get" the lesson. Oh, how USUAL!!!

Today a beloved visitor is leaving to return home, and expressed dread at having to travel across the country. She said she used to enjoy travel in the past, but now sees it as nothing but a hassle. I asked why, and she said she had traveled so much in recent years that the fun of it had gone.

Many of us reread the ACIM lessons each year, beginning with Lesson 1 on January 1st. Today's lesson, number 7, is one of the most powerful - "I see only the past". I realized that the dread of traveling was because of this human characteristic of seeing only the past, and then the snowball of awareness started to roll until it became an avalanche of understanding. Examining my life and that of those I know, I see that virtually EVERYTHING that interferes with pure happiness is based on past experience, judgment of how the experience will turn out or fear that it will be as "bad" as a similar experience in the past. Based on this, we alter our behavior, close our hearts and shut down our emotions.

When we look at children, we see the unbridled JOY of BEing. Each moment is FUN for them because THEY HAVE NO PAST!!! Nothing is judged or feared because there are no past experiences to cause judgment or fear. Each new experience is entered into with enthusiasm, they know no other way.

We become conditioned by our experiences, and project the past into the future. Sometimes it is with dread, when we remember past experiences and fear their recurrence. Sometimes it is hope, as we anticipate rearranging the past to better suit us the next time around. What we do NOT do is "come as little children" living in the NOW, full of love and joy and enthusiasm at the wonder of BEing.

We must forgive the past, for it is not here NOW unless we recreate it in our minds. As someone said "the past is history, the future is mystery, the only gift we have is NOW, that is why they call it the PRESENT".