Make The Days Count

Remember, as a kid, how difficult it was to see our days pass by so slowly. We would be counting down till school ended, birthday celebration arrived, or someone was coming to visit bearing gifts.

Remember? It was hard to get through the day. Marking the calendar, and then finally, the hours, and suddenly there’s only a few minutes left.

Today, it has been a week. My sister gone. We haven’t had closure, nor been all together in the same room. Not even on the same page. For us traveling, our resources are in other states, my better half has carried her own load without me by her side, or her by mine. On too many levels, life continues on, you know, bills to be paid, money to be handled, lives to be touched, even our pets need to be managed.

I’ve been surrounded by a great circle of influence – my church, friends and strangers I’ve never met but who have reached out in various means. Out there on the edges are a great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1) who show us the way forward.

They’ve been where I am, and are now where I will someday go.

The Mind Is A Terrible Thing To Waste

How do you deal with all your memories? I don’t want to waste them, nor do I want to linger in their presence, but think about it like this. Our mind has the ability to take everyday occurrences of life and cross-connect them to someone else. A word spoken, a movement made, a song sung…all have the power of helping us connect to our memories of someone special.

In 2015, I flew to Dutch Harbor, Alaska, to spend a week with my sister. She’s worked in bush and remote communities for over 20 years. I’ve traveled to every location except for one, Nuiqsut. If you map directions between the two, Google maps will say:

“Can’t find a way there… Try Again.”

The only way to get from “here” to “there” requires a great expense of time and money. I went to wherever I could, whenever I could. Why? Adventure? Perhaps. More importantly, she and her family were important to me. Yes… I’ve been to my brothers, but for the most part they are in the comfortable places of my past. I’ve been there. Hot, Humid, and for the most part, very familiar!

I remember the times of our past. The good, bad, and yes, there were even some ugly times. If you think about it, this is life in all our families. Not everything is perfect, nor is everything horribly goofed up that we cannot be there for each other when needed. You can live on the edges of your memory and think only of the negative. That’s not where I want to be. Between the edges of my mind, as between the two towns above, there are an abundance of good memories that crowd my mind.

What Do Your Memories Say

The closer I get to being really “aged” like good cheese, the more I realize how important my memories are. From my treasure trove I bring forth my memories and relive the moments. Not in real time, but like a time lapse photo that speeds through every moment and compresses these special times into warm fuzzy feelings.

Now, Dementia and Alzheimer’s redefine our ability to live in the present and it seems the past is all that’s allowed. Certain infections bring out delusions of our past, and from the things I’ve heard I’ve wondered what the past was like for some!

No. I’m not there, but I know others who are and are dealing with these issues every single moment of every single day.

Think about attempting to merge the past into the present. How do you reconcile the two? You can’t. You must let the memories of days gone by be what they are – unique to your perspective of the event.

This was truly spoken of Jesus:

“Jesus also did many other things.
If every one of them were written down, I suppose the world wouldn’t have enough room for the books that would be written.”  
John 21:25 (GW)

Here’s My Thought For the Day

Not everything you remember needs to be shared. Some of those memories edify, others may tear you or someone else down. Wisdom is knowing “what” and “who”!

I want to live Godly, and that means I need to be in control of what I know, and how it will affect others as well as myself.

One man wrote a pathway to Godly living:

1. Is it profitable?
2. Does it matter to me?
3. Does it edify?
4. Does it seek my neighbor’s good and God’s Glory?

So. What you know, if you apply this algorithm to your decision making processes, you should be able to come up with an answer on whether that memory is worth sharing, or retaining.

Paul said it like this:

 “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful.
All things are lawful,” but not all things build up.   
Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor.”  
1 Corinthians 10:23-24 (ESV)

What if we would simply treat our memories the same way? Your mind is a terrible thing to waste, but the words, once spoken, cannot be recalled. Like a virus, they spread and spread as we unthinkingly share the information from one person. They mutate and grow larger than life.

“Think before you speak” is as important as “look before you leap”.