Capturing the Memories Before They Fade

Over the past couple weeks, I've been slowly feeling like I'm forgetting things about my dad.  It's been only 3 months since he went home, so I'm not sure how I can be feeling this way already.  It makes me feel guilty and sad to think I may lose these memories which are all I really have left of him right now.  Hence the need for this blog.

A book by H. Norman Wright titled "Experiencing Grief" touches on this and gives the advice to write everything down before it starts to fade.  The first sentence of Chapter 19: Capturing the Memories, says, "Many who grieve are upset even more when they discover some of the memories of their loved one begin to fade.  The greater the distance in time from being with a person, the more this will occur."  I read this and started to cry because it makes normal what I'm feeling.  Maybe I don't need to be guilty if this is a usual occurrence among people who have lost someone they love.

He offers a way to remember our loved one by writing down all our memories.  He says, "One of the new roles you take on after the loss of your loved one is becoming their historian.  You may be the main person to convey to others who your loved one really was.....It's an exploration of a life lived rather than a history.  It's capturing the important elements of one's life, commemorating who they were, and giving a testimonial about them."  My children are young still and the things they remember about today will fade as they become adults.  I not only need to write my memories of my dad down for myself, but also for them.  I want them to know who he was.  I don't want them to ever wonder what Grandpa was like.  Especially Cameron and Mei.  Their memories are fewer than what Anna and Zach have to hold onto.

So that is the reason for this new blog.  If anyone comes across this blog and reads it, and happens to know who my wonderful father was, please feel free to share any memories of him you have in the comments sections.  I would love to have friends come alongside and join me in keeping my dad's memory alive.