I Had Something

Today’s post takes its title from our Ipod shuffle tune… (newbies: look below)

Seeing the pictures of the water destruction from the east coast has dredged up memories of the tsunami in northern Japan, and, of course, Katrina. Once I get past the agony of the destruction, both societally and for all those affected at the personal level, it reminds me that one of the most valuable of all possessions is memory. Unfortunately, of course, a high percentage of those who went through this will have bad memories. But there are always tales of heroism and good will in the aftermath of these kinds of events, including after a big earthquake that we all have or will experience in California.

Every single time, though, in a harsh and yet sad way, the quotes are along these lines: “glad to be alive, all we lost are things…”

Yes the financial pain in the wake of these things can be life changing. Yes the bureaucratic aftermath can be mind boggling. Yes rebuilding is hard…and I’m not just talking about re-accumulating the things that were lost.

But naked we come to life, and alone we leave it. In the intervening time, we all gain a storehouse of memories. And it has been my experience that those memories help people remember and place more value upon community rather than “I, ME, MINE.”

In good times or bad, the sharing of memories reminds us as people that we are all valuable. And the process of sharing your memories contributes to the further benefit of society.

So if you are in the midst of clean up today, or if you were never touched by the Frankenstorm, share a memory today. We’ll all be better for it.

Got a memory you want to share? Please leave a comment and make us all better for it…

Ipod shuffle status (What is this?): 4443 (I Had Something - Lucy Kaplansky) of 7875

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