I love words, and I love the words memory and memories.
Let's get to the sad part, and be done with it. We've perhaps all had a loved one where memory/memories had disappeared. Not fun. Hard to soak in. I will never forget the day I wheeled my father into St. Mary's Hospital lobby, me, talking about my mother and my sister - and he didn't have an earthly clue. All that good. Gone.
Conversely, being able to Christmas Carol at Nursing Homes several times - the very happiest room to Carol in was the Alzheimer ward. People, places - fuzzy - the bad, the consternation, sorrow, hustle-bustle mems were too. So, all they knew was happy. Not a fair trade, but maybe God's gift to them.
"Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children." Charles R. Swindoll.
How true.. remember your role models as a child? It's a bet parents are at the top of the list. Not only do we carry on the bloodline, we are, in part, a piece of them to carry on. Aware though, there are adopted, or, like my own father - he lost his mom when he was 6. I regret never asking him who his role models were. I guess, in part, listening to his stories I was able to detect them.
"The life of the dead, is placed in the memory of the living." Marcus Tullius Cicero.
Scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind.
Thank goodness for pictures. We can look back at loved ones, and keep 'em alive. We can look back and remember flat belly, ha. To me, it's a tad sad pictures are saved electronically nowadays insteada getting them from the Fotomat. Being old, I guess, I have this fear "what if one day they all vanish? - Or, hell I never remember my user ID's/passwords - I JUST WANNA LOOK AT OLD PICTURES GOOGLE! Why do you doubt me? I reckon this is our 'now' society.
Anyways,to me, pictures are meant for albums. Refrigerators. A mug on a mug. In a picture frame on an end table, or, the wall.
Can't remember where I was... oh yeah, memories. At work, there are interuptions ALL THE TIME. Once that task is completed, it's now "where the hell was I?"... So, me, when I think of it, being old, I have to write down (before attending to the interuptee) what I am working on, then, highlight it with a yellow marker to distinguish amongst other chickenscratch - and it seems to work.
I have friends, hella organized. Ne'er forget a meeting, a birthday, an event, a Holiday, yada - due to keeping a miraculously neat calendar (online). Nomme. When I, say, have Doctor's appointment, I take yellow sticky note, write all the necessary when/where crap down, then, TAPE it to the back of my billfold. Comes with being old.
There is not much more stark than seeing a person you knew/went to school with/yada, after a many year absence to think "wow." (And they, on the other end, thinking the same damn thing.}
Twas a lady, whose eyes caught the mug of a classmate from many moons ago... He looked SO OLD to her, she feared she might embarrass him if she walked up and said, "do your remember me? I'm such-and-such from such-n-such school." Anyways, she did, she walked up to the now old man and said just that, "do you remember me? I'm such-and-such from such-n-such school." He replied, "No, what'd you teach?"
As an aside, I've had a mate or two who forgot where their bed was, ha.
"Yesterday is but today's memory, and tomorrow is today's dream."
I recently was with a widow. There would be times, dates, locations, songs - where a tear would run down her eye. Not much I could do besides hug her, and tell her I love her. There is pain in memory - yet, wonder in it too.
I have friends, often, say to me "Do you remember when we were at ____ and we ____?" Hell to the no, I can't even remember who half the friends on my Facebook page are! I suppose way too many Old Styles over time could play a part in that as well.
"Time moves in one direction, memory in the other." William Gibson. <--I wonder if he's related to Henry?
I dunno about you, but living in the town I grew up in, and a few gallons of gas for $2.59 per, I like to drive around, simply remember. Really though, one doesn't need to go physically back to where memories were made.. Heck, we can do it from our own couch, or, staring up at the ceiling in bed. Intermixed with prayer, meditating, maybe we all should devote a set amount of time a day to 'go back'. Keep that appreciation thriving.
"Time and memory are true artists; they remould reality nearer to the heart's desire." John Dewey.
OK, I'll be gone now. I'm gonna try (to set aside specific 'memory time'.......you?} Have a great smile, maybe a tear.. smooth skin and lots of hair! It'll be fun.
"Memory has always fascinated me. Think of it. You can recall your first day of high school, your first date, your first love." Erick Kandel
With apologies to Teddy Ruxpin, "I can, can you?"
Love, Victurd
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