Thanks for the Memories!

My three sons (wasn't that a TV show?) have a unique game they like to play whenever we are lucky enough to all be together.  

It's called (or more accurately, I just named it) "Let's get Dad to say...[insert over-used Dad-ism here]"!

Some of the Dad-ism's the Olson boys try to get me to say include but are not limited to:

- "Well that's totally inefficient..."

- "Killing the drill!" (a baseball coach term for whenever a practice drill gets messed up)

- Any kind of sigh.

- Any mission, work, or life story that they have heard so many times that hearing me tell it once more makes their ears bleed.

They set the game (me) up with a series of trigger questions, descriptions, or conversations aimed at getting me to say one of my Dad-isms.  Bonus points are awarded if I used more than one in the same game.  I only catch on when they yell, "YES!!" when the Dad-ism is finally uttered.  BINGO.

My sons can be real brats sometimes...

What is it about memories that compel us want to recount them and share them over and over (to the chagrin of our loved ones who are forced to hear it for the ump-teenth time)?  

We recount stories because it brings back the emotions and feelings of the original moment in time that it happened.  The memory we share is not so much for the listener, but for us.  It evokes the joy of a victory or the heartbreak of loss, the happiness and horror, humor and histrionics, the hubris and the humiliations of our unique lives which have been saved to our memory.

Much of the festivals and holidays celebrated by members of the Jewish faith are centered on remembering and recounting an event where God interceded in their behalf.  A miracle.  An event that shaped who they were as a people.  To remind them to have gratitude.  It is one of the things I envy about their faith traditions and I am grateful for the memories that have forged my faith.

Let me also say that I love my two daughters most...

We are in week 5 of our full-time (el tiempo completo) mission service.  Because of a 9-hour time difference, our days begin early with a 6:00 am Zoom meeting with Hermana Warnock who is training us on all the ins and outs of the Barcelona Spain Mission office.  There are a number of things we can do "offline" as well, including working with social media.  There are 97 missionaries that are currently serving in Spain (down from a pre-COVID total of 200+).  Because our mission covers much of the south-

east coast of Spain by Murcia up and along the border of France and Andora all the way across the top of Spain to Vigo (just above Portugal). We have a lot of missionaries that we assist in arranging travel for as they "transfer" from place to place during their 18-24 month service.  Mucho trabajo! Pero, es muy satisfactorio!

Margo got her second vaccination jab today so we are both done.  Spain is working on a Vaccine Visa so they can get their economy, which relies heavily on tourism, back on track.  We remain hopeful and optimistic that we will be able to travel there in the near future.

I am looking forward to making NEW memories to bore my kids with!


 

 

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