There are sweet memories that bring a smile to our face even when there are no others around to share the moment. There are some that cause us to laugh out loud and draw the attention of strangers who may wonder what our private humor is all about. There are all kinds of memories, some sad, that sneak out of our eyes and slowly creep down our cheeks. Then there are those that may be extreme, they that flood our eyes and then burst the dam of lids and lashes, flooding our face with salty tears. Memories come from out of the blue, sparked by a sound, a touch, a view of a person in our mind’s eye, a thing or merely a thought. A feeling we had as a child, with our mother, laughing with friends. Sometimes its the thought of a pet cuddling in the crook of our legs as we lay sleeping. Memories are life’s experiences imprinted on our brains for life and for all eternity. Some have even thought that they extend to every cell in our bodies, not just the memory bank of our brains. Interestingly, each of our memories may differ from that of the others who were there; they may be close, but different. The memory of the same event will depend on where we were standing as compared to where another was standing.
Who was listening to what was being said compared to another less interested at that same moment? Our memories of some events have been burned into our brain such that they qualify us to be testifiers, some one way and some another.
Pleasant memories of past events are what make us yearn for home, for our parents, for our friends while growing up, for the main street of our home town, for the excitement of driving our first cars we drove as teens, and for the cherry cokes we drank at the local drive-in. Our first thoughts of girls, or of boys. The memory of the sweat in the palms of our hands while trying to work up the moxie to ask someone out for the first time. The memory of becoming engaged and planning a wedding. The memory of being pregnant and seeing our first child being born. The sad times and happy times of raising children, watching them trying to walk and to talk and to ride a bike and the times while they were going through a serious illness. Memories of education: moving from elementary school, junior high school, graduating from high school and even from college. Of camping trips or vacations on long car trips. Along with the frequent and expected question, “Are we there yet?” Most importantly, of family get-togethers, eating great food and playing basketball in the backyard court. Sleigh riding in the winter, down the steep hills and over snow covered rock gardens in Grandpa’s backyard. Watching as the oldest child had their first date; the memory of their rosy cheeks and the anticipation of puppy love. The memory of their coming home one night and announcing their plans to marry. The memory of the excitement of the first grandchild being born. Memories of spiritual events: of mission calls—waiting at the airport for them to return. The memories, that brought back the feelings and emo- tions that swelled our chest like we were going to burst with pride.
Yes! There is even the haunting but faint memory of long, long ago when the Father of us all presented the Plan for our Progression, all His children together in that spiritual realm in His very presence. The faint remembrance of our excitement and our anticipation of getting to come to earth. The earth, a place which He created by the Word of His Power, specifically for us to experience a physical creation in all its glory and beauty. His Plan was designed around family units and those who follow that plan were assured of greater happiness and joy in this life and a promise of even greater memories that we will share together in the next world, the world that the Father has prepared for those who love Him. In that world we will come to know those who preceded us, whom we descended from. We will then share the collective memory of the ages. But, first we must build that family tree where we are all bound together in love, the love that only families experience in what the Father called a “fullness of joy.”