Here is a scene I witness frequently; a family sitting around the house looking through piles of old pictures, post cards, travel information, trinkets. They are simultaneously crying and laughing. Silent and boisterous.
They are sorting through memories.
The only problem is, they aren't sure what all the memories are about. They really wish dad could sit here and tell them.
The only problem with that is, that right now, Dad is lying in the bedroom, comatose and near death. Everyone has gathered. They pull out pics hoping to find a few good ones to display at the funeral.
Now, if only dad were here to enjoy it. I would bet he would have had so many wonderful stories to tell.
So today, in honor of fathers, brothers, uncles, cousins or whomever, I encourage you to get out that box while they are still very much alive. Go through the memories now. Ask questions. Take notes. Understand what made dad, well, dad.
Start sorting through memories with your own kids, even if they are young. Start a tradition of story telling on Father's Day.
Or start some new memories.
You do not need an elaborate scrapbook for memory making. You can simply use a piece of paper and a pen.
After all, when it is all said and done, we really do only have our memories.
Don't wait. Take the time to do it now. Time has a way of getting away from us. There may not be tomorrow or 'later'. Don't "eventually" get to it. Do it now.
Celebrate life while everyone is living.
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY
Memory is a way of holding onto the things you love, the things you are, the things you never want to lose. ~From the television show The Wonder Years
We do not remember days; we remember moments. ~Cesare Pavese, The Burning Brand
Memory... is the diary that we all carry about with us. ~Oscar Wilde, "The Importance of Being Earnest"
To live in hearts we leave behind
Is not to die.
~Thomas Campbell, Hallowed Ground
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