Memories

One of the most treasured possessions any of us can ever have are our memories. Memories are powerful in that they can help shape our futures or have impact on us and how we interact with others.

My childhood memories are perhaps my most precious, and hence why I choose not to share them with people. For the lucky ones that I may have told anything, you can know that you are very special to me.

One memory in particular has shaped my relationship with my mother in my adult years, and perhaps if I had not been such a wild teenager, my mother would have had an even more perfect son. Thats right. I am not ashamed to admit it. I am a perfect son. And have been referred to as a 'Mommy's boy' on many occassions. Although I will not go into the details of what this memory is, I will say it showed me the depth of my mothers love not just for me, but for all her children and the sacrifices that she was willing to make in order to make us happy.

This memory has served not only to strengthen my relationship with my mother as an adult, but has also inspired me to try and be an even better parent to my son, to spend time with him, and create memories that will hopefully stay with him and keep us close in his adult years.

Similarly I have had negative experiences that have also shaped me as a person. I can remember being racially abused on a daily basis as a child, both physically and verbally, when I was at primary school. I had it from teachers, from parents, from class mates, and that too shaped me; and perhaps not for the best. I was always ready to fight. I would hear the sound 'Ni....' and it was fight on... For all I knew someone was trying to tell me 'Nice hair cut!'... but I was so accustomed to being called 'nigger', that is all I ever heard. These memories and experiences made me hard of heart and angry.

So what is my point?

Today, you will leave impressions and memories on people. You may not even be aware that you are doing so. My mother does not know the impression her memory left on me, I have never told her despite its huge impact. The question is will those memories be good ones or bad ones?

You have an opportunity in your dealings with people to shape their personalities and their lives, both future and present, but will you build them up or bring them down?