Mountains of Memory
(NOTE: That’s not an inappropriate finger thing going on. It’s the FOURTH finger, the ring finger, celebrating Eugene and Elaine’s engagement. They’re the fourth and fifth folks from the right.)
Earlier this week, I was listening to a long-term missionary who’s now in Tanzania describe what she periodically longs for in the US. “I miss the mountains,” she told me.
Then – on a bus in Zanzibar – a fellow tourist talked of a different longing. Something triggered the recollection of a beautiful memory, of a time years before when her kids were young enough to travel with her and her husband: “I remember my son once had to ….”
I think it’s a good thing to LONG FOR the experience of a fond memory in this way, or LONG FOR the mountains of yesterday. These are the powerful forces that helped shape us, right?
I’ve noticed that we’ve started REMEMBERING, even longing for, portions of our journey. We sift through these memorable experiences together … of a time when, or that guy we met, or that meal we had, and so on.
We are now past the halfway mark of our journey … and perhaps what’s happening is this:
I seem to be trying to balance the emotions of remembering – with the hope of what’s to come – with an awareness of, a THANKFULNESS for, RIGHT NOW.
Such a great and difficult awareness to cultivate, balance, and realize. Best wishes for living in all the “yay!” moments. :)
Thank you for sharing your very eloquent description of a rewarding perspective we too often neglect as we go on with our daily affairs. I could not help but note, however, that your epiphany was so exhilirating that you wet your pants.