Living in Memory

I have copped to many of my guilty secrets over past blogs, such as being addicted to country music, but what many of you don't know is that I live watching sci-fi TV-shows, specifically the British ones. The last show I have been savoring my addiction to is Torchwood. It's a very good show, mostly about aliens and ghosts which I have to admit is pretty cool.

The last episode that really got me thinking was about a man who came out of the void. The only way he could continue to exist was to implant himself in the memories of those around him. That got me thinking about he purpose of our lives and also our inability to fully exist alone. If no one notices you, if no one remembers you, what kind of life is that? It also begs the question that is no one remember you, have you done more with your life than simply draw breath and take up space on earth?

There are many members of my family who have passed away. For me, they will never really be gone though. They still live on, in the memories I hold of them, in all the stories that are told. They may be gone but they will not be forgotten and so they will continue to live.

Memory is a powerful thing. It retains all the joys and laughter, but it also records the hurt and the pain. Both things are important to remember. Without the pain, the joy would be less joyful and without the joy, the sting of pain would be too deep. Memories do alter over time. The memory of past hurts may dull and lose some of their sting over the time and it will become harder to reach the same heights of ecstasy. Perhaps that is why we cling to memories, because they become more easily kept over time.

Memories are important to hold. In many cases they act as a reminder to us. Sometimes the reminder may be to laugh more and sometimes it may be to not cry so hard. Either way they serve important purposes. The other reason for memory is that as long as you are able to hold the memory of those you love in your heart, they will never be gone. They will live on with you.