time present and time past
are both perhaps in time future
and time future contains time past*
Time is precious. Time gives us memories of the past and hopes for the future. Today we are in a period of transition. We are just about to step over the threshold which will carry us out of times that have past and into the times that have yet to come. We are leaving a world that has been so familiar to us and entering one that is unknown and new.
Time is cyclical in nature. In this world that we have grown accustomed to in the last ______ years, we have formed strong bonds with people who have become familiar faces that we see day after day. Many of us have followed certain daily rituals. We have seen seasons come and season go and years pass by. Each one of us has looked at these repetitions in a single, unique light. [imbuing our perspective onto an event changing its energy]. Now it is time to move on and create a new light that is different from the one we have been experiencing for the past ____ years. [Change is hard. But it is not overwhelming when we let life happen. Life is a series of ever-changing moments]
It is time to walk across the threshold leaving behind the old world and start building a new one that is right for each one of us. By walking across the portal, we are entering
down the passage which we have not yet taken
toward the door we never opened*
Remember not to forget the illusion of the old world for it is our box of memories. We may need it to comfort us [or as a reminder not to repeat past mistakes] when times become hard. In our minds, we will want to hear the echoes of special people’s voices in our heads and see their smiling faces when they are far away from us. We treasure special moments with family, friends and teachers. They have given us [the tools let’s call them] the wings which will enable us to fly into the new world and adventure the unknown. We must thank them and never forget that they have given [time and helped us] find the [inner]strength and ability to fly.
time past and time future
what might have been and what has been
point to one end, which is always present*
The end that is always present lies in each one of us. The end is our [ever present] ability to make a new beginning. But it is up to us, as individuals, to make a path in the overgrown land. This path will lead to a new opening. It is up to us to find the right people to help us overcome the brambles and not get stuck in the thorns. Once we reach the clearing, we will plant the seeds that will make our new world grow into a beautiful garden where we can live and work with our friends, family and the precious gift of time. This end will flourish into a beautiful new beginning with a bright glow of light which will carry rays of old and new.
what we call the beginning is often the end
and to make an end is to make a beginning
the end is from where we start *
so let the journey begin
[there are no obstacles only time]
I wrote this at 18. The only changes are the bracketed items. It made this speech as salutatorian of my high school. My father found a copy and gave it to me recently. It taught me a lesson, we only have time and the ability of change. Nothing else is certain. But wow, what powerful gifts Mother Nature has given us.
*T.S. Eliot Burnt Norton http://www.artofeurope.com/eliot/eli5.htm
