Memories are funny things.
Sometimes they lie buried for years.
Suddenly they reappear, full of emotions.
These emotional memories can bring tears to your eyes.
These tears can be happy or sad.
Both are good: happy remembrances or sad that the people involved are gone from your life.
So many emotions pile up behind each memory: joy, happiness…
If all your good memories were always with you,
You wouldn’t have room to store new ones.
What about the bad, hurtful memories?
Yes, they are still there, too, sharing the same space.
Yes, they also pop up when you least expect them, full of emotions.
Pain, heartbreak, resentment, fear: the list can go on.
Those scars never seem to disappear.
That’s ok.
If you could erase memories, how would you decide which ones should go first?
Could you take the chance that if you erased bad memories, the good ones might go along for the ride?
I remember talking to a wise man one day about the pain in my heart. I wanted to shut off my heart so I wouldn’t feel that pain anymore. His reply? “You could close off your heart and it’s true you wouldn’t feel the pain anymore. But you would also miss out on the joys of life.” (By the way, that wise man was my father.)
I decided he was right.
So as a memory crosses my mind and brings either joy or pain, I’m glad I still have each memory.
The happy ones, of course, remind me of the fun I had with people.
The painful ones remind me that I came through each situation a little bit stronger, a little bit wiser, a little more mature.
So I’m ready for you, memories: good or bad.

All of you are part of my life.