The Past - any time before now

Earlier this semester, I studied simple past tense with my students.

"Today I eat breakfast. Yesterday I eat breakfast?"
"ATE"
Emily: "Yep, that's right. Yesterday I ate breakfast. Ate is the past tense of eat. What does the word past mean?"
Student A confidently: "Yesterday!"
Student B tentatively: "A...ago"
Student C loudly: "THROW"
Emily: "Throw? Are you thinking about passing a ball?"  
Writes pass and past on the board. 
Emily: "Back to the question. What does the word past mean?"
Student A (again confidently): "Yesterday.... Before"
Emily: "Good! Past means any time before .......?"
Students: "Now!"
Emily: Right!

Now that we've got the word past sorted, I'll actually get to the point. 2010 was a GOOD year. Chris and I each wrote a list of the blessings we experienced in 2010. It was about the easiest list I've ever made, which didn't surprise me at all. I knew that the past year had been amazing. There are the obvious joys - getting engaged, marrying the man I absolutely adore, seeing SO many friends and family that I love, having two wedding celebrations on two continents, and moving to a new country with my husband. Good stuff. Amazing stuff. Moments I will cherish for the rest of my life.

There were also a myriad of smaller blessings, though only smaller in comparison to the massive, life-changing blessings I already mentioned. I got to live with my family again for 6 months in a brief but wonderful stint between two seasons of life overseas. Chris had two great bucks parties. I hiked the Grand Canyon, top to bottom, with my dad (in 8 hours with icy trails - that's right, we are hardcore). I had beautiful flowers at both of our wedding celebrations. Chris saw moose in Colorado. We got to go on a vacation with BOTH sides of our family. All our paperwork for Korea made it on time and my passport didn't get lost in international mail. We can get familiar food here in Korea. On and on and on.

And this - all this - pales in comparison with the gift of our relationship with Jesus.
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will. Ephesians 1:3-5


We also learned a lot of lessons. Spending almost our entire engagement on different continents taught us about perseverance and patience. Trying to get teaching jobs in Korea taught us about trusting God and not freaking out about everything that could possibly happen. Learning a new world in Korea has been teaching us about having grace with others and with ourselves and, frankly, how to look the other way as cars careen through red lights.

I could just keep going about all the great things and the difficult things that made 2010 a FULL and wonderful year. But, like I said to my students. The past is anytime before NOW. And, thankfully, the now we are living in God's hands as well. (Which definitely means it will probably be an adventure!)