"Our emotional lives and our spiritual lives have different dynamics. The ups and downs of our emotional life depend a great deal on our past or present surroundings. We are happy, sad, angry, bored, excited, depressed, loving, caring, hateful, or vengeful because of what happened long ago or what is happening now. The ups and downs of our spiritual lives depend on our obedience - that is, our attentive listening - to the movements of the Spirit of God within us. Without this listening our spiritual life eventually becomes subject to the windswept waves of our emotions." (Henri Nouwen) Living in the present moment is difficult at times and requires the strength of God's grace. We can't change the past but we can change the effects of the past. Emotions are important part of our lives. But they were never meant to be the controlling part. God gives us the grace in the present moment to take captive the effects of hurtful past memories. How? Instead of allowing them to be the controlling factor in our lives, we need to surrender them to the Lord in the present moment and seek his plan to properly and permanently to deal with them. This will take time, but it will provide the solution.