MEMORIES

MEMORIES..........WHAT EXACTLY ARE THEY ?

AN AWE INSPIRING INTERACTION OF CHEMICALS, COMPOUNDS AND ELECTRICAL IMPULSES FOUND  IN THE HUMAN BRAIN  DESIGNED TO CATALOG EVEN THE MOST MINUTE DETAILS OF A PERSON'S LIFE.
IS IT THAT CUT AND DRIED ?

VERY EARLY MEMORIES,(BEGINNING ABOUT 18 MOS. OF AGE), AS WELL AS SENSORY MEMORIES --- THOSE OF SMELLS, COLORS, TEXTURES, SIGHTS AND SOUNDS, EVEN INTENSE EMOTIONS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A PART OF MY MEMORY WORLD.

I HAVE EVEN DEVELOPED AN AMATEUR HYPOTHESIS REGARDING ADOLESCENCE.

BECAUSE OF  THE DRAMATIC IMPACT THAT THOSE YEARS AND THEIR REMEMBERINGS HAVE HAD ON THE REST OF MY LIFE.   I WONDER..... COULD IT BE THAT BECAUSE OF THE INTENSE BATHING OF THE BRAIN WITH HORMONES DURING  THIS TIME OF LIFE, THESE EXPERIENCES (THUS MEMORIES) ARE IMPRINTED MORE INTENSELY ON OUR DEVELOPING PSYCHE ?

I DON'T HAVE AN ANSWER.....BUT I FIND IT AN INTERESTING QUESTION.

SOMETHING HAPPENED ABOUT 10 YEARS AGO THAT STARTED ME THINKING EVEN MORE  ABOUT MEMORIES. A PROCESS THAT HAS LED ME TO THIS PAGE TODAY.

WE HAVE A GREAT FAMILY REUNION, ON MY FATHERS SIDE, EVERY SUMMER. A GATHERING OF PLUS OR MINUS 50 SOULS, BOUND BY BLOOD AND ENCOMPASSING AT LEAST 4 GENERATIONS---SOMETIMES 5.      IT WAS  HERE IT HAPPENED.
AS A SATURDAY NIGHT ACTIVITY, I 'HOSTED' A GAME-SHOW OF SORTS, DESIGNED TO LEARN MORE ABOUT EACH OTHER.   AND LEARN WE DID !     IT WAS A BLAST!
QUESTIONNAIRES WERE SENT OUT IN ADVANCE ASKING EACH INDIVIDUAL ABOUT 15  QUESTIONS. THAT NIGHT, I WOULD READ 3 CORRESPONDING ANSWERS TO EACH QUESTION AND THE REST OF THE FAMILY WAS TO PUT THE RIGHT ANSWER WITH THE CORRECT FAMILY MEMBER.
LEARNING THINGS THAT WE COULD HAVE NEVER ANTICIPATED, WE LAUGHED UNTIL WE CRIED.... OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND RETIRED THAT NIGHT EDUCATED, ENLIGHTENED AND ENAMOURED OF THOSE WE CALL FAMILY.

ONE OF THE SIMPLEST QUESTIONS---"WHAT DO YOU COLLECT?"---SEEMED A NO BRAINER AS SEVERAL OF THE FAMILY ENJOY AND/OR  DEAL IN COLLECTIBLES AND ANTIQUES.
BUT IT WAS ONE UNEXPECTED ANSWER THAT TOOK MY BREATH AWAY....."MEMORIES".
MEMORIES WERE WHAT THIS FAMILY MEMBER COLLECTED.  A CONCEPT WORTH PONDERING...AND HAS LED  ME TO BE MUCH MORE AWARE OF EVERYDAY, AS WELL AS SPECIAL OCCASIONS AND HOW I 'FILE THEM AWAY' SINCE THEN.

THIS PAST HOLIDAY SEASON, I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO TAKE A CARE PACKAGE TO AN ELDERLY NEIGHBOR WHO'S WIFE HAD DIED ABOUT 10 MOS. AGO. AS ALWAYS, I INCLUDED A NOTE.  AS I READ IT BEFORE SEALING, I WONDERED IF I MIGHT HAVE CROSSED SOME BOUNDS OF NEIGHBORLY PROPRIETY. (I HAVE BEEN KNOWN TO SUFFER 'PEN IN MOUTH' SYNDROME IF I DON'T SELF EDIT APPROPRIATELY.)
BUT I DID SEAL IT AND SHARED THESE WORDS WITH ED AND HIS FAMILY:
"....PLEASE DON'T BE AFRAID TO LET THOSE PRECIOUS MEMORIES CREEP FROM YOUR HEARTS BACKROOM SHELF. THOUGH PAINFUL AT FIRST, THEY ARE TRUE GIFTS TO BE TREASURED AND WHAT CONNECT US TO THOSE WE LOVE MOST IN THIS LIFE."
OUR NEXT ENCOUNTER WAS FILLED WITH TEARS,  LAUGHTER AND TENTATIVE HUGS ALL 'ROUND.
MEMORIES.....THE ONLY THINGS I KNOW OF THAT COMBINE OUR HEARTS, SOULS AND MINDS AND COLLECTIVELY, CONTAIN SO MUCH OF WHO AND WHAT WE ARE...WHETHER WE ARE CONSCIENCE OF THEM OR NOT.
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THE FOLLOWING, WRITTEN FOR MY DAUGHTER, COMES FROM A HOT SUMMER NIGHT OF HER CHILDHOOD. THE SWEET SOUNDS OF GIRLISH PLAY AND LAUGHTER
FLOATED IN THOUGH OUR OPEN WINDOW.  I WENT TO INVESTIGATE.

LET ME TAKE YOU THERE.....

THERE'S A COOL, QUIET PLACE IN THE EVENING SHADE-

I THINK IT'S A PLACE THAT THE FAIRIES MADE.

A PLACE WHERE ALL THINGS TURN BLACK AND WHITE,

THE END OF THE DAY, THE BEGINNING OF NIGHT.

YOU CAN SIT PEACEFULLY, ALL BY YOURSELF

OR USHER SWEET TREASURES FROM HEART'S BACKROOM SHELF.

THINK OF TOMORROW..... CONSIDER TODAY

OR  JUST QUIETLY SIT AND FLOAT GENTLY AWAY.

SWEET, FRAGRANT FLOWERS BLOOM IN DAMP SOIL

GIVING SCENT TO THE BALM FOR DAYS HEAVY TOIL.

GRASS TICKLES FANCY, MEMORY AND TOES

JUST WHAT ONE CRAVES FOR LIFE AND IT'S WOES.

A CAT SLIPS AWAY THROUGH A BREAK IN THE WALL.

TREE CANOPY COVERS...PROTECTION FOR ALL.

SHEER COMPLETE COMFORT, RESPITE...CONTENT;

GLIMPSING THE SHIFTING OF GOD'S FIRMAMENT.

LIGHT FINALLY FADES, PAVING THE WAY

FOR DAWNS EARLY COMING---EVENTUALLY DAY.

IT'S COOL......AND IT'S QUIET

IN THE EVENING SHADE.

I THINK IT'S A PLACE THAT THE FAIRIES MADE.

TO "COLLECTING" MEMORIES.      THANK-YOU, SCOTT.

G.H.M.

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