For many years I have been making lists of what I need to do. I have come to believe that the first item of the “To Do List” should be: check the to do list. It is always easier to forget once the list is made than to stay on top of the task. The old trick of tying a string around one’s finger as a reminder seems increasingly to raise the question “why do I have this string around my finger?” Memory can be a tricky thing. One item can easily push out another. We notice this more as we become older, but it is present with us all along the way. Both the very good and the very bad memories can be very durable. Some memories deserve to be forgotten, but that does not mean that they are readily eliminated. I find the more I can focus on good memories or can make new positive memories the less I am plagued by the bad ones. It doesn’t mean that I am totally free of those difficult memory moments, but it does soften their impact. It helps to remember that sins and failures are included in the manifold mercy of God’s forgiving love. At times I have been able to rethink a difficult memory and give it a new context. As I have matured, some memories were colored by the misunderstandings of youth and immaturity. Memories can be redemptive as well. When we think of Jesus saying “Do this in remembrance of me” we are caught up both in the sorrow of what he suffered and in the joy of his continuing presence as our resurrected companion. How strange that we can experience such a mix of feelings in one event. The mystery of memory in the end is a gift when used under the guidance of the Spirit of God. Then memory becomes blessed.