Thanks for the memories
Thanks for the Memory is a song from a 1938 movie The Big Broadcast of 1938 by Bob Hope and Shirley Ross (Wikipedia). I associate it with Bob Hope who, if I am not mistaken, adopted it as his signature song adapting the lyrics to fit various situations. I had not thought of Bob Hope in some time. Younger (read-not ancient) readers may have to google Bob Hope.
At any rate, one of the New Year rituals, which I adopted some years ago, was to spend time after Christmas rereading holiday greeting cards and family letters, which often accompany the cards. Many of them come with photos of children, grandchildren or occasionally a recent photo of the sender. Each photo is a person who ties me to many other persons. In the case of children and grandchildren the connection is often very direct. I attach each photo to a 3’ x 2 12’ bulletin boards in my kitchen. If room permits as the year progress, I will add cards and photos form funeral masses, birthdays and other celebrations. Sometimes I have attempted to expend the board to include programs of concerts, museum exhibits or other events, which weave an even larger quit depicting the year.
Throughout the year the board of photos and other memorabilia will remind me that I am part of something much larger than myself. It will also remind me that each action I take and each action I refrain from taking directly and indirectly affects many people. Each memory may have started with one person who met, courted and perhaps married another person who was connected to a wide circle of people. Some of those may then have produced or adopted children. In a nano second or so those children grew up, found a partner, formed work and personal relationships and may have added more children and adults to the ever growing list of connections.
Some of the photos are photographs of paintings or photographs created by the sender. There is already a wedding invitation for this year.
On this third day of January there is barely room for what has already been posted. I will have to decide whether to enlarge the bulletin board, attach new memories on top of old memories or replace some with others.
At any rate, the memory board is both a reminder of what has been and what is to come. It is also a reminder of the brevity of this life journey.
Many theologians have suggested that the purpose of worship is to give praise or to give thanks. The purpose of my memory board is to not only remind me of the responsibility I have to all those I will directly and indirectly touch, but to give praise for beautiful moments of sharing joy, sadness, grief, humor and all the other emotions which form our collective dance.
In the Old Testament there are many lists of “begets” – of the long chain of successive generations. The begets might seem like a very impersonal list but on my bulletin board they come alive.
To them I say “Thanks for the memories.” – the one, which are past, the ones being created, and the ones waiting to be born.
Written January 3, 2017
Thanks for the Memory is a song from a 1938 movie The Big Broadcast of 1938 by Bob Hope and Shirley Ross (Wikipedia). I associate it with Bob Hope who, if I am not mistaken, adopted it as his signature song adapting the lyrics to fit various situations. I had not thought of Bob Hope in some time. Younger (read-not ancient) readers may have to google Bob Hope.
At any rate, one of the New Year rituals, which I adopted some years ago, was to spend time after Christmas rereading holiday greeting cards and family letters, which often accompany the cards. Many of them come with photos of children, grandchildren or occasionally a recent photo of the sender. Each photo is a person who ties me to many other persons. In the case of children and grandchildren the connection is often very direct. I attach each photo to a 3’ x 2 12’ bulletin boards in my kitchen. If room permits as the year progress, I will add cards and photos form funeral masses, birthdays and other celebrations. Sometimes I have attempted to expend the board to include programs of concerts, museum exhibits or other events, which weave an even larger quit depicting the year.
Throughout the year the board of photos and other memorabilia will remind me that I am part of something much larger than myself. It will also remind me that each action I take and each action I refrain from taking directly and indirectly affects many people. Each memory may have started with one person who met, courted and perhaps married another person who was connected to a wide circle of people. Some of those may then have produced or adopted children. In a nano second or so those children grew up, found a partner, formed work and personal relationships and may have added more children and adults to the ever growing list of connections.
Some of the photos are photographs of paintings or photographs created by the sender. There is already a wedding invitation for this year.
On this third day of January there is barely room for what has already been posted. I will have to decide whether to enlarge the bulletin board, attach new memories on top of old memories or replace some with others.
At any rate, the memory board is both a reminder of what has been and what is to come. It is also a reminder of the brevity of this life journey.
Many theologians have suggested that the purpose of worship is to give praise or to give thanks. The purpose of my memory board is to not only remind me of the responsibility I have to all those I will directly and indirectly touch, but to give praise for beautiful moments of sharing joy, sadness, grief, humor and all the other emotions which form our collective dance.
In the Old Testament there are many lists of “begets” – of the long chain of successive generations. The begets might seem like a very impersonal list but on my bulletin board they come alive.
To them I say “Thanks for the memories.” – the one, which are past, the ones being created, and the ones waiting to be born.
Written January 3, 2017
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