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Good morning.聽

One of my favourite cartoons shows a man striding down a dark city pavement. High on the wall above him is written the name of the street. It's called: 'The life you lead.'聽

As he walks, the man passes the mouth of an alleyway, from which light is streaming. He's glancing up the alley as he passes. This too has a street name high up on the wall. It's called: 'The life you could have led.'聽

'The life we could have led' is an idea that can haunt us. The older we get, the more years we have to ponder, wondering about the options we never took. Time passes, and the life we did in fact lead becomes the larger part, set in stone. A door begins to open for regret; questions crowd in.聽 What if I'd chosen the other path? What if I'd been braver? The alternatives can seem like the bright alley into which we never turned.聽

In Philip Larkin's much-loved poem, An Arundel Tomb, he contemplates a love that has, literally, been set in stone. The twin effigies of husband and wife impart to him a 'sharp tender shock' as he sees her stone hand resting in his. Whatever life they could have led is over: only their tender legacy remains. Larkin, who died thirty years ago today, concludes his poem, 鈥淲hat will survive of us is love.鈥澛�

When regret lurks at the door, it can be hard to give up the hope of a better past. But we are where we are. If what will survive of us is love, we still have the choice to pursue it.聽

Lord, free me from the wounds and regrets of the past; help me to live in the present; and give me the grace to use my days in the service of others. Amen.