I’ll Remember You
It may be that, in the passage of time, memories become more dear. Some of the Apostle Paul’s fondest thoughts near the end of his life were those of his friends and co-workers in the ministry of the Gospel of Christ. I have often been intrigued, even enraptured, by tales of joy and sadness when people say, “Remember when..?” Moses said we spend our years as a tale that is told. As we look back over our lives that’s what is left at the end of our days. Stories and recollections. Photographs and memories. Remembrances when.
I read a statement by a man in his eighties in which he declined to be called elderly saying, “I am old.” He went on to extol certain virtues of age- one of which is having rich store of memories. I don’t want to date myself, but I am beginning to understand him better than heretofore. The events of the years bring smiles, but it’s the people we’ve known over those years that are the real treasures. Scripture speaks of gladness at news from a far off place. Distance is not only geography- it may be time, as well. How glad the wandering thoughts.
There may never be a reunion in presence among the long-lost, but memories are, sometimes, just as real. We take the familiar for granted. Memories are precious because they are ethereal and elusive. I’m glad I cannot remember everything. There are some people that are actually so cursed. There are a lot of negatives I foolishly hang on to, but I have been able to shed a few of them over time. God forgives, and, sometimes, people do, too. Remember the good. You’ll be happier that way. Photographic memory is overrated.
I’ve been disappointed by friends more often than I care to count. When I am taken by this gloomy realization, I try to temper it by realizing that I have let many people down myself. Thankfully, on the other hand, I have many precious memories of golden days and glad times that have grown sweeter as the shadows have lengthened. I do remember you, and I remember when. Perhaps no one else noticed what was done, but I did, and I feel the benefit even today. In heaven, I will thank you aright. The record is there.
I’ll be seeing you. Long after the summer is gone, you’ll be in my heart. Memories are evergreen, but let’s not get stuck in the past. Each day is an opportunity to make more of them. Give it your best shot. We’re going to live forever- just not under the current contract. The lease will expire, and we’ll enter a new dwelling with new terms and conditions. The actions of today, however, may take on a life of their own. Make a difference, and leave the place better than you found it. Think of me occasionally, and wish me well, too.
Sterl
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