How many times have you found yourself caught up in the past? I know this can be an everyday occurrence for me. This can be over a past relationship, past hobby, past experience or maybe even a past lifestyle. Sometimes we waste so much of our time worrying and being caught up in the past that we cannot even begin to focus on our life TODAY! Our past shapes our future and directs our daily lives. Experiences are what make each and every day different, unique and great.
For those of you who know me you know that I am not the most exciting person, especially not in the mornings. One thing that always gets me going in the morning is to see one of God's greatest creations, the sunrise.
The North Carolina FFA Center at White Lake is one of my most favorite places to see this happen. As a camper there I would get up and set outside the cabin to watch this beautiful creation happen right before me, as well as collect my thoughts and to have my daily “matt time”. Now I attend camp during the summer as the intern, and every morning I find myself sitting beside the lake watching the sun rise above the tree line and over the pier, completely taking my breath away. In that swing beside the lake I prepare myself for the day ahead and still have that “matt time”.
Over the years things have changed but so many things have stayed the same. I have grown personally in so many ways and achieved things that I would have never imagined possible for me. Yet some dreams will not be filled, but my life has still been amazing and a great learning experience.
My Moma always said you’ve got to put the past behind you before you can move on (Forrest Gump). Is this not the hardest thing to do? I cannot imagine living without my past. The more I have pondered over this thought the more I have come to understand its true meaning to myself. It doesn’t literally mean to put the past away and forget about it. To me this symbolizes the reflection, acceptance and understanding of my past. My past experiences have brought me to where I am today, shaped my passion and definitely created my personality and work ethic.
I thank God every day for my experiences and opportunities in the FFA. So many times I wish I could go back and relive those moments. But I had my time, and it was the time of my life, if I may add. Those experiences have brought me to a new time in my life, a time where I thrive off of helping other people and providing them the opportunities and the experiences that made my FFA Career so great. Many faces come and go in this great organization but the more people that come and go, the more things that change within the organization the more the organization stays the same and to that I commend everyone who is involved especially the members, chapter advisors, state staff members, national staff members and supporters alike. What a great feeling to be bleeding National Blue and Sweating Corn Gold.The more things change the more they stay the same,
Matt
