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Being Together!

Being Together!
All of us!

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Memories!

I have a dear cousin who was asking family and friends for memories they have of her and their time with her.  It was really fun to sit down and think about that.  I was amazed at what I did remember and how silly some of it was.  I also found that she had a great impact on my childhood. I looked up to her and am grateful for her wonderful example. 
I have been thinking since then, about other childhood memories I have had and the memories my own children will have.  What will be their greatest memories?  Will they be happy positive ones or negative, will they be about their own lives or others lives, will they be real or virtual?  We are still talking in what I like to call "Media Memories"!  Something is said and my children, some more then others, relate the experience to some movie or T.V show they watched.  I have to tell you it makes me a bit sad!  I have tried and continue to try to give them their own cool experiences, yet it is the ones from the media that seem to be remembered the most! 
What are some of your childhood memories? 
I remember being outside, having run of the neighbourhood, digging in the dirt, fishing with my brothers, swimming in the lake, building sandcastles, tobogganing, skating on that same lake that we swam in.  Exploring the woods, finding toad stools and water lilies, climbing into my brother's tree fort and not being able to get down, climbing trees, playing house, bike riding, playing hide and go seek at night in the dark, dew worm hunting, raspberry picking, visits from cousins, finding pictures in the clouds, bonfires on the beach, swinging so high I thought I could touch the sky.
There are so many good memories. They have helped to make me who I am today. 
My worry is that the memories of today's youth are so in twined with the T.V they watch and the gaming they do that they may forget that these experiences are not real or their own. 
Okay, so maybe I am being a bit over dramatic, but seriously.  Has your child been outside to play in the real world this past week?  Not just going from the car to the school and back again, but really experiencing the great outdoors? Have you? Have you spent time together doing something other then watching the Television?  Have you turned off the computer long enough to find out how their day was at school?  I ask you these questions, but I also ask myself the same ones.  I think it is good to check-in to see just where we stand. One foot in reality and one in the virtual world?  Maybe, are we okay with that? Are our children okay with it?  Is our are family okay with it?  Are we thriving or just surviving? 
My challenge today is to be aware of the memories my family are making and to check-in to make sure we are really connecting!
I hope you have a memorable day, I plan to!

1 comment:

  1. I was trying to think of memories with Patty too, but I have more of a general feeling than specific memories. I'm sure I have some though....where are they filed??
    Katie sent us her family DVD the other day - I feel really inspired to try to capture more of our lives on video. Although I think I will always remember the sound of their voices and the way they walk, my babes are growing up and I am forgetting how they were even a year ago. My kids say that some of their favourite memories are times I was silly with them and we were all laughing. I find it isn't usually the big things they remember and value.
    Love your list of goals on the side... inspiring!

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