Black & White Wednesday: Generations

three baseball caps

three pony tails

three generations of Red Sox fans

together at the park

on Mother's Day

Take a Moment to Remember

me·mo·ri·al

–noun

something designed to preserve the memory of a person, event, etc., as a monument or a holiday.

–adjective

preserving the memory of a person or thing; commemorative: memorial services.  

of or pertaining to the memory.

When I think about all the memories that I have preserved in scrapbooks and picture frames, I am filled with gratitude for all the people, places and experiences that have made our lives what they are today. As a family, for generations, we have known possibility. We have traveled, known a myriad of professions, lived in many different parts of this country, and celebrated the milestones of our lives together.

Freely.

I'm sure I don't appreciate this freedom in the same way that my immigrant great grandparents appreciated it. Maybe I appreciate it a bit more than the youngest of the cousins...I hope so. As I honor the memory of all these family members - from young, to long gone - may I take a moment to remember that every aspect of our lives has been shaped by possibility, by choice, by freedom.

Today, and everyday, help me never to take that for granted.