Do you struggle to have a childlike spirit? This has been a challenge for me for as long as I can remember. But I’m learning to recapture my childlike spirit because it helps me stay closer to God.
memories
Memory stones
What do your memories signify? Are they markers of personal history? Are they ghosts who haunt you? Burdens or joys? My memories are all those things, and something else: My memories are like stones that commemorate meetings with God.
Stones are markers of memory and permanence.
Curses and blessings of a powerful memory
As a high school freshman, I sat in the school counselor’s office, counting numbers backward. To test my aptitude, he told me a series of random numbers (36, 71, 42, and so on) and asked me to recite them backward. I got a perfect score every time. I didn’t understand why he was so impressed—my memory has always been strong.
A powerful recall runs in my family. My great-grandmother touched my curly hair and ruminated. When she lost her hair to diphtheria as a young girl, she felt devastated. But when it grew back curly, she felt joyful. I learned from her that visual cues and feelings are keys to retrieving memories.