With the annual Thanksgiving holiday soon upon us, many are making preparations for reunions with friends and family. No one will go away from the table hungry and everyone will join in on telling stories from former days. A young staff at the hospital shared with me how excited she was to see her grandmother. We talked about the value of capturing her stories on paper or video recording.

Why do you think remembering is so important?

We remember to learn from past mistakes so we can avoid making them again. We share memories with children and grandchildren to give them perspective that may help them in their own lives. We also recall memories to help us gain perspective and appreciation in our own lives. Whenever I recall how loving my grandmother was it spurs me on to be more loving. When we face a problem that seems insurmountable or unending, memories of getting through former struggles helps us see our problems in view of a larger picture. I was frustrated today because my walking was not as good as the previous two days. More pain. Less gain.  Marcia reminded me of how much progress I’ve made in one month. I had forgotten and needed reminding so I could find needed encouragement.

I appreciated seeing a memory display box in a friend’s house that contained scraps of things from their past. Each item was a remembrance of a time when God answered prayer. I wonder how each of our lives would be positively impacted if we would take time each day to remember God’s goodness and faithfulness. The devil doesn’t have to get you to hate God. He succeeds if he keeps you so busy you forget God most of your day. Often in the Old Testament we read God’s reminder to us, “Remember I AM the Lord your God.”

I hope you take time often to remember. Let bad memories fly by except to take a lesson from them. Let good memories fill you with a special joy, renew your sense of hope, and speak to you about how you will carry and pass on that memory in your own life. And don’t forget that today is a day for making good memories. Find something to celebrate, however small, and capture that in your memory box to remind you of simple joys in times of trouble.