I received a private message with a video clip yesterday from a young man who was part of the church we served in Boise, Idaho. Of course, he isn’t young any more. We moved from Boise in 1995. He is a grandfather now, but he was young when we moved. The video clip that he sent shows me announcing his marriage and delivering the benediction at his wedding. It is a joyous reminder of a relationship that has grown and strengthened over decades of faithful loving. When I officiated at that wedding, I had been married fewer years than that couple now has experienced. Time moves on. The man in the wedding video isn’t the only one who isn’t young anymore.

I don’t mind getting older. As a collector of memories, I have been quite successful in this life. Most of those memories are good. It is how humans work. We are better adapted at remembering pleasant events than painful ones. We can remember loss and grief, but we are even better at remembering the joys of our relationship with the one who we lost. I’m sure that the young man and his wife have had trials and problems in their lives. I’m sure they struggled with challenges and problems. But when they look at their wedding video, it brings them joy and it is natural to want to share that joy with others. I received the video clip from the couple because I was a part of a joyous time in their lives and when they celebrate that joy I am included in their thoughts.

Receiving communications similar to that video clip is a regular experience for me. Someone who I have known for many years will send me an email or write a note that recalls a meaningful exchange that we have had in the past. Their memories spark my memory and when I read the note, I share their joy.

There are lots of things that spark joy. Susan was packing up our Christmas decorations and decided that one of the boxes we use to pack was so worn that it needed to be replaced. I looked at the old box and recognized it as a box that we had used when we moved from North Dakota to Idaho in 1985. We tend to save and reuse useful things like cardboard boxes, so it probably had other jobs after we moved. I’m not sure when it became the storage place for Christmas decorations, but it has served in that role for many years. The box contains a lot of memories for us. New decorations for the tree are frequent Christmas gifts that we receive. They mark significant moments in our lives such as the birth of a grandchild or a big trip. We have an ornament with a photograph of the house we now live in that was a gift from the realtor who helped us find and purchase it. That ornament has only been on our tree twice. We also have ornaments that came from the collections of our parents. Some are more than 50 years old. Each has a unique memory and the memories are often layered. We remember multiple times when we have hung that ornament on the tree.

We chose a small Christmas tree this year, so we had plenty of ornaments that didn’t fit on the tree. We hung a few of them in other places around our house, but others were looked at and then placed back in the box without being displayed this year. They will come out again next year and we’ll make new choices.

We also planted the tree that we had for Christmas yesterday. It seemed like an appropriate celebration of Epiphany for us. It is a reminder that we now live in a mild climate where the ground is free from frost and gentle rains nourish new plants and it is reasonable to plant a tree in early January this year. We’ve lived in a lot of places where we would not have been able to dig the hole for many months. The tree now serves as a reminder of Christmas 2022 for us. Each time we look at it we will remember the particular joys of this year. Perhaps we’ll hang a few decorations on it in Christmases to come. When it is well established, a small seed feeder for the birds might be a good Christmas touch.

Of the various collections I’ve accumulated over the years, my collection of memories is one of the most precious. Like all collections, there is a certain amount of care involved. Memories don’t require dusting like the knick knacks on my bookshelves, but they do need attention from time to time. Something needs to bring them from the depths of our minds to present consciousness. There are things from my past that I cannot tell others because I cannot remember them. They are as real and as true as the things that I do remember, and perhaps I could remember if the right person or the right set of circumstances stir my memory. That is where all of the friends we have known come to my aid. They share their memories with me and those memories spark my own.

There are a lot of things about that wedding that I do not remember. I can’t remember who the organist was. I don’t remember who the guests were or where the reception was held. I couldn’t tell you the names of the Best Man or Maid of Honor. I don’t know if they had a ring bearer or a flower girl.The couple can tell you a lot more about their wedding than I. But their memory sparked my memories of serving a vibrant congregation full of wonderful people that was part of my becoming the person I am today. I learned a lot from serving that congregation that has informed my life since.

I’m no Bob Hope, but I’ve got the song “Thanks for the Memory” in my mind and in my heart. I’m grateful for this wondrous collection.