Published: September 04, 2009 05:15 pm      

DAY: Write your Book of Life

Have you given thought to what you have stored in your book of memories? Have you told your young about how it was back then? Have you taken the time to think about it? Well, I have and I do.

As you know, most of my columns are about the old days and what they meant to me. You might say that it is like turning the pages in the Book of Life, and you would be correct.

Being able to relate to you, both old and young, my thoughts, is like maybe going back to a preceding page and taking another look at what the past was for me and you. And my Book of Life is about those things that have happened in our family’s time here on earth.

We can take a short trip back in time by turning the pages of the Book of Life. We can show the children of today what our life was about as children and also the times of our parents, grandparents and other relatives and friends.

There are many out there who have closed the book of their lives. They only live for today and tomorrow, if it comes about.

Many times when I have the time to do so, I sit back, close my eyes, and explore those wonderful pages in my book. Sometimes, I have had tears coming from my eyes when I think about those in my family who have done their time here and have received the call to go Home. I wonder just how it would be to have all 14 of us brothers and sisters here with Mom and Dad.

That would be one room full of family, and I am pretty sure there would be at least half of them all talking at the same time. But we can’t be together here on earth because there are only a few of us left.

But in my Book of Life, my memories give me a lot of pleasure, just being able to remember those great days of old that are and hopefully will always be there for all to see and think about.

Memories of Mom and Dad and what they gave up in taking care of all of us lies between the front and back covers of my book. Sprinkled in all the pages are thoughts about my brothers and sisters and cousins, aunts and uncles, and our grandparents, too.

Why would anyone not want their own Book of Life? They have the memories, and they have family, so they do have their Book of Life, if only they would take time to open it up.

Many of my readers are in the 80s and 90s, and they are always letting me know that they feel good reading my thoughts about how it was, how it is today and how it might be in the future. Yes, Thelma and Jenny, you are two of those readers, and my love goes out to you each week as I think about what to write.

Think of it. What a full book of memories they must have and what it must have been like in their day. The things that we enjoy today are results of the generations before us who envisioned what it could be in their future. Their future is our today and our future is your tomorrow. So if you have good memories to go back to, then you are truly blessed.

And for those who have been only living today and not thinking about what it took for them to get to this time, I ask you to take time, and write down some of those memories that you have been hiding. Your children will benefit from knowing what you and your family had to go through. It is not fair to hide what might be beneficial to the young people of tomorrow, and really, folks, you can feel real good about having survived the past so that you can live today.

My Book of Life still has some empty pages, and I will fill them in before my call Home comes. How about you?



• Ray “Uncle Ray” Day is a weekly contributor to the Kokomo Tribune. Contact him at uncleray@earthlink.net or (765) 457-3819.