Reduced to a Memory

An old dusty shoe box finally open. Years of memories flooding the photographs that lie untouched in that old.. dusty.. shoe box. Once these photographs had been nothing but paper with prints capturing a moment in time. Now, it's seeing dead loved ones and their once happy faces. Holding in our hands we stare into the eyes of the one(s) we love and travel back in time to that moment. Tears well up in the ducts of the eye as they slowly over spill and the heart pains with the understanding of loss. Photos and stories act as time travel devices to journey through the history of our lives. Through all the good and even bad times shared with the ones we hold dear in our hearts and souls.

Every one of us has or will experience loss. It is part of the inevitable circle of life. It is one of the phenomenon's of life that connects us all as humans. If you haven’t experienced this type of loss yet, show the ones you love that you care. Do that anyways. Take any moment you can to pause and cherish the ones that make your life better. Appreciate them when and while you still can. For one day there will come a time where you want to hug someone, want to hear their voice, share thoughts with, see them smile, or even stare into the glitter of their beautiful eyes… and they’ll be no where to be found. At least in the physical sense. They disappear into the vast unknown metaphysical plain. Without tangible photos and other things that were once theirs, our loved ones are quite literally reduced to a memory. Perhaps they leave behind property and things, yes they were once owned, but the dead cannot own property. This property belongs to anyone who claims it whether its their heir or a stranger. Perhaps they leave money, it is spent and it is gone. Money is great, but it comes and goes. Perhaps they are buried or burned and forever there is a physical destination to visit them. Some of these destinations are quite lovely. Still morbid as if their dead bodies bring us closer to them. Perhaps they are grand inventors, artists, spiritual leaders, novelists, scientists, doctors, discoverers, etc.. They leave behind their imprint and creation. For once they are gone, that does not mean they are left to be forgotten. Of course legacies will carry on and last forever. Some much greater impact than others. Then, it is up to us as their legacy and those they influenced for them to "live" on.

In the end, no matter what after life is believed in, we are reduced to a memory emblazoned on the hearts and minds of those who love us. We are reduced to these beautiful recollections in the brain of the experiences had and the lives influenced around us. We have a chance to impact everyone we meet and especially those we bond with. We have the zest at our fingertips to enrich and cause benefaction in the lives of others. Many of these traits and qualities we have learned have been passed down through every generation. Thus it is important that the memories from our loved ones and ancestors do not dilute among the vast existence of life. Instead we live our lives the best we can knowing that we one day too will be a mere memory. Live with giving everything we are taught and inspire the lives around us. May we light the fire inside others even when their wood is wet. May we teach our future generation of the great lineage that came before them. May we stay connected to the strength and power of our ancestors and pass on a life worth living long after we are reduced to a memory.