Memories, Old and New

My grandmother recently turned 99. Physically she’s still spry – she’s one of the more mobile residents of her nursing home. But sadly her memory hasn’t fared quite so well. Ask her about the residents of her rural community from seventy years ago and she’ll tell you lively stories about each one. But she won’t remember last Christmas or her birthday party. Not even what she had for lunch today.

I’m grateful she still remembers the vacations we took to Western Canada and Florida when I was a teenager. She’s the family member from whom I inherited my love of travel and it’s still a favorite topic for us to talk about together. And I always send her a postcard when I travel.

Some people feel spending their hard-earned dollars on travel is a waste of money. Once the trip is over you’ve got nothing to show for it. Oh, not true! The memories can last a lifetime.

But I worry about my own ability to remember. I’ve enjoyed many wonderful ‘old times’ and I’d hate to forget even one. The clarity of these remembrances is sustained by the photos that once captured them. But without the photographs to fill in the details, some memories have sadly begun to fade.

Happy times for some may be their high school days, for others it was college. For me, the ‘good old days’ were in my twenties as I began my adult life in Toronto – old friends and lovers and the adventures we shared.

Let’s raise a glass of wine to priceless memories and old loves. Some of them you may wish to forget, but others never leave you.

Happy Valentine’s Day!