“Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift of God, which is why we call it the present.”
This quote is by Bil Keane, who had a long career as a cartoonist. When I first read his words, I smiled at the way he uses the two meanings of the word “present.” I also like the way he refers to the past as history and to the future as mystery.
Yesterday and all the days preceding it since each of us was born makes up our personal history. It’s the memories, accomplishments, relationships and interactions with others, our many and varied life experiences, as well as our day-to-day responsibilities. Our personalities evolve as we learn and grow from our experiences, including when we recognize and learn from mistakes we’ve made.
Tomorrow is a mystery because we cannot know with certainty what life will bring each day. Often what we will do has a certain predictability, such as spending time with our family, working at our jobs, attending events or meetings, etc. But it’s important to be open to unexpected occurrences too and to do our best to do whatever is required of us to respond to them when that is needed. And also to notice and appreciate the unexpected special things that happen.
As Keane says, each day certainly is a gift of God. In fact, each morning when we awaken is a perfect time to say a prayer of thanksgiving for that day and to pray for guidance in all that we do throughout the day. And when today passes into yesterday to know that we tried to live it well.