At this point in one’s life, I’ve realised there is far more to look back on than to look forward to. That’s just the way it is for us baby boomers.
I’m not being pessimistic here….I am very thankful I have so much to look back on…good, bad, sad, happy. Many people have not had that chance….their lives shortened by whatever circumstance.
In the past few weeks I have garnered a lot of things to look forward to.
At the beginning of November I received the news that my last surviving uncle…Theo Manoli….my father’s younger brother….had passed away in his adopted country of Australia. The news really affected me. Theo Manoli was the last direct link for me to my beloved father. Seeing pictures of him recently flooded me with memories of my Dad….they looked so much alike. I felt so much sadness, but also remorse. Remorse for not having taken that trip to Australia to see my uncle one more time. This is something that can now never be. An important lesson to be learned here.
Amongst all this sadness though, I have found joy. I have connected with cousins I have never met and cousins I met briefly a lifetime ago. Now there is a whole new chapter in life to look forward to….meeting up with my cousins….in our ancestral home of Greece. So much to catch up on….so much to look forward to.
Next week I return to my birthplace of the Bahamas. It is something I am really looking forward to. To be with my immediate family…my children, my husband, my sister, my niece and nephews and now….great nieces and great nephews. Looking forward to meeting the newest additions to our family…newborn Bruce and 5 month old Irene. There will be a family celebration. It is truly something to look forward to.
Seeing my old friends….some I have known and grown up with….through school and beyond. Reconnecting. We dip in and out of each other’s lives, but the cord that binds is forever present. Looking forward to this .
These past few weeks have made me see more clearly. Coming to realise that, no matter how much of your life you see behind you, there is still so much in front to look forward to. Perhaps not all of it will come to be, perhaps it will….but that’s life. Look forward to it…it’s the only thing we have that is truly ours. It’s up to us to go forward with it in the best way possible.
samahab2000 