The Life Span of A Memory

　

The value of a memory is often learned just a little too late. Sort of like the saying, “You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.” This old saying can be applied to our memories as well.

Memories come in all shapes and sizes. A trip to Disney World or a trip to the ice cream parlor. A fishing trip or drawing a fish. A seven day cruise or a seven minute walk around the block. Just as I’m writing this, I’ve been surprisingly filled with memories with my Daddy. A trip to Disney World with my mom and dad when I was younger. Most memorable moment…I got stung by a wasp and started screaming, but my mom and dad thought I was “cheering” for Shamoo! Very Berry Strawberry every time at the little ice cream stand! Fishing….my dad rested his foot on what he thought was the bottom of a bucket…oops - an open bucket full of bait fish! Seven day cruise with my mom and dad when I was younger…remember being sad because my parents didn’t buy anything from those little Jamaican kids. Around the block? The first time I was allowed to ride my bike around the block by myself (we lived on base)..my dad wanted to make sure I knew where I was going. I thought I was so cool, “I’ve got it Daddy. To the corner. Turn. To the corner. Turn. To the corner. Turn and back home!” So off I went….Passing the intersection of every block thinking “I don’t remember this block being this long” and here comes my daddy….”Hey Babe. Where are you going?” “Around the block, Daddy” “Shoot Honey. It ended seven blocks back that way!!” He taught me how to ride my bike without training wheels on a flight line in Illinois! Proud moment for Daddy and little girl!

Several days after my dad died I had memory after memory…just like these… flying through my head and I was clinging to them, reaching for them as quickly as I could with the fear that they may escape me, never to return. In the many days that followed, memories continued to come to me out of nowhere. But then something tragic happened.

They suddenly stopped coming. Little by little I started to forget those cherished memories I was clinging to so desperately. And it occurred to me…

What is the life span of a memory?

Just a little more than the people you shared it with.

When you don’t have any more of the “remember that time” moments with that person…the memories start to fade away.

So, this Holiday Season..remember this.. as you are gathered around with family and loved ones and you listen to the same story you have heard fifty times, laugh about the same family vacation, smile about the same fond tradition, or try to settle - for the last time the details of an old family story…by being in that moment you are adding years to the life span of your special, cherished and irreplaceable memories…so sit back, relax and enjoy your moment…for tomorrow it will be a memory…and Lord willing…you can laugh about it again next year.