I stare at this blank screen as the Sentinel submission deadline nears, and all that comes to mind to share with you, my kind readers, is in my future. I usually write about something that happened during the week or something I learned years ago. Today, my mind focuses on the future, which is good.

How often do you get stuck in the past? Did you or someone else say or do something that woke you up in the middle of the night like a bolt of lightning? It certainly happens to me, and when it does, there is no hope of any more sleep.

It may be the season when green grass, flower pots, gardens, and worries about mowers and sprinklers are on our minds. Spring is a wake-up season. It gives us things to plan and do, and once in a while, in NE Colorado, Mother Nature welcomes us outside.

Saturday, May 17th (I write this a week ahead of publication), my family and I are gathering to bury the cremains of my two sisters. My kids are all helping with greeting folks and sharing a sparkling beverage of their choice, a cousin is giving a toast, and two nieces are saying the opening and closing prayers. My brother-in-law made a beautiful inlaid cherry and walnut urn; we will all honor my sisters with memories, humor, poems, and joyful sadness. Sadness, because we miss them, joy because they lived life fully.

I then have a shingle project for my home and sixteen neighbors’ homes, where the whole place will be given a uniform facelift.

My oldest granddaughter is expecting “my” first great-grandchild in August, so I get to attend a baby shower in mid-June. I also have two events at Chautauqua in Boulder to enjoy with friends. I look forward to enjoying the sweetness of Sterling and the beautiful Rocky Mountains to the fullest.

I am sharing my plans to emphasize the fun and excitement of looking forward. We all have great memories of the past that we want to never forget, but having future plans adds a new dimension. It is sort of like the difference between a warm, cozy blanket and a colorful beacon in the distance—the known versus the unknown—the hope, the expectations.

Both are good and necessary to turn the corners of our mouths upward and place glitter behind our eyes. Past memories and future ideas are the same, only different. The most significant difference is that we can no longer do anything about the past, but be active participants in the future.

So, use this wonderful season to get out and look up and around. Make something beautiful, mainly yourself.

Until the next time: Live while you live.

Jennifer Goble, Ph.D., LPC, is the author of “My Clients…My Teachers,” and the blogger and writer of Rural Women Stories: www.ruralwomenstories.com.

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