Boyle McCauley News

Since 1979 • April-May 2024 • Circulation 5000

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When Memories Become Diamonds

Memories: good and bad, we all have them. Good memories are like blessings that never cease, while bad ones – well, unfortunately there is no magic way to get rid of them (at least, nothing that I am interested in trying!).

When people talk about memories, it is often at events like family reunions, weddings, and funerals. Especially at the latter, people tend to focus on positive memories out of respect for the recently departed.

But what do you do about those memories that hurt to recall? That bring tears instead of smiles?

Don’t have to focus or dwell on them. Accept them. That’s all. Nothing more, nothing less. I don’t want to trivialize anyone’s deeply ingrained hurts and resentments, least of all my own, so let me explain.

Our personal truths and realities are made up of all of experiences. The bad ones – failures, heartbreak, betrayal – are every bit as important as the good ones, because through our mistakes and trials we have the opportunity to learn and grow. Having negative memories about someone or something could perhaps influence us to make different and better decisions in the future. In time, even those bad memories might not seem so bad after all.

There is a saying about a piece of coal under pressure transforming into a diamond (even though diamonds don’t actually form from coal). Our memories are diamonds – all of them valuable.

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