CNY Inspirations: Our feelings are valid

This feature is coordinated by The Post-Standard, Syracuse.com and InterFaith Works of CNY. Follow this theme and author posted Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday.
Right now, you may feel many things: disappointment, relief, confusion, hope, fear. Such feelings lock us into a view of the present and a sense of the future, but they often forget the past. Remember for a moment: what did you feel at the end of October? My guess is that you felt some anxiety or grief about the election and our country.
Now reach further – what did you feel in September? During the summer? Last year? We can remember in our memories, but remembering works better in prayer. Pray that you remember your mental, emotional, and spiritual state in the past.
Why bring up that old stuff again? Why enter into it? Isn’t it long gone? Well, to be honest, no, it is not. We often discard the past like dirty laundry (or try to), and fail to see that it is part of who we are in the present. What we experienced in the past matters to us in the present, or further, it matters because we experienced it.
Can we forgive our anxiety of the past? Can we make amends? Can we seek peace with the parts of ourselves that felt those things? On the other hand, are they just feelings we want to shut off? However, can we really “shut off” a part of ourselves? Should we even want to? How can we accept all of who we are, even the seemingly bad parts? In addition, can such a practice help us stop shutting off others in our communities who we see as “bad parts?”
The Rev. Tim Hannon is a priest and rector at Christ Episcopal Church in Manlius, N.Y.