“There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.” Nelson Mandela

A few years ago, I had the opportunity to visit the house where I was raised. The current owner had put it up for sale and I couldn't resist the "open house" sign.

There was a certain pleasure in walking into the bedroom where I used to curl up with a good book or sitting in the dinette where I would break house rules by sneaking my dog Princess upstairs for the crusts from my morning toast.

I kept expecting to run into myself as a child, but of course, that little girl existed now only in my memory. And recalling how timid and quiet I used to be (at least, according to what my mother always said!), it is hard to believe that I became the person who would speak before a crowd of total strangers or interview well-known people on a regular basis.

Too often we allow the identity we had as a child to remain the only identity we acknowledge. We forget that every life experience--happy or sad, desired or painful--changes us in ways that we may not even recognize. If we are fortunate, we are stronger and wiser, more compassionate and generous than we were so many decades ago.

Treasure the memory of who you once were. But don't allow that to stop you from becoming the person you can be.