I got hit by a cascading block of memories tonight.  As I sat in the silence and thought about the various steps I've taken in life, the many paths wandered I was reminded of the people I have encountered along that winding trek.  


It's funny how some people you meet make such an impact in such a short amount of time.  Some, one only encounters for moments and yet memories are ingrained as though they were in your life for years.  Others, you loose contact with yet they are still, in your mind, one of the best friends you will ever have.  


My memories, though most include people because it's what I surround myself with, are scattered today with moments spent at camp in the early morning sitting on the dock sipping my coffee at 5am listening to the loons and watching the fog lift off the water.  The world quiet yet I know that in a couple of hours it will be bustling with young kids running around laughing in excitement.  

I think of the moments I've spent frog hunting with my sister around the slough on our farm, or the times I'd spend buried in a bail watching while anticipating the birth of a baby calf.  Excited eyes watched every movement the momma cow made wondering what color and gender the calf would be.  The best part however was watching as the mom cared for her new babe as she licked him/her clean and watched as the first steps were taken.


I often get bogged down when I hear the word "memories" these days.  I get distracted by my distant past and get overwhelmed to the point that I forget the good.  I rob myself.  


I'm thankful, so thankful for where I've come from and excited to see where I'm going.  It's like what I was reading today in Philippians (3:13):  "Brothers I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it.  But one thing I do:  Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead."  The past that I have lived I cannot change and if I stare toward the future I get too distracted so the lesson is to live for the now regardless of how stupid that sounds and savor these moments.