Kate and Allie and Debbie

I taped over my thirtieth birthday party with an episode of Kate and Allie. (That was a glorious 1980's television sit com.)There is footage of the party and then an awkward splice-like effect and Susan St. James and Jane Curtin have popped into my life. It was a good party featuring nieces and nephews reading birthday cards aloud to me followed by their entertaining amusement. It was also a good episode. I particularly regret losing any footage of my skinny years. But it happened and life goes on. We are fortunate that memories are not so easily erased. Loved ones slip away and we are comforted by the memories of those moments gone by. A song, a photograph, a food or place, a sports season or a holiday bring those priceless memories rushing back to us. We open our hearts and minds to embrace the images. We close our eyes and open our arms subconsciously expecting the person to appear. We are both consoled and bolstered by the recollections. They provide an emotional nourishment. We are able to retain and recall the intimate chapters via the assistance of the prompts and sometimes with the blink of an eye. Tsunamis of emotional memories can sometimes arrive without warning. But we wouldn't trade anything for the precious recall of experiences,individuals and relationships. Don't ever attempt to block those flashbacks. The pain sometimes associated with the loss is necessary to help you arrive at the remembrance of the love. The love, the laughter and the life will appear via those thoughts. Allow yourself the "wouldn't....have loved this?  ....Or "do you remember the time that...." Many times the memories and/or photographs and films remind us of a person still living who was simply a part of our past. This individual may have been an integral part of who you are today but is no longer a part of your daily associations. Nonetheless the memories can bring yesterday and last year and another decade back to you. I am often disturbed by the careless storage of treasured photographs and family movies in wet,humid,hot,dusty places. Is that any place for your memories? The moisture and humidity could be permanently erasing images as you read this. You could schedule a little time to appropriately store the family archives. You might even want to view them. Whatever you do, think twice before recording over anything before knowing its contents. For now I will enjoy remembering the time Kate and Allie came to my birthday party.