Memories

Just finished reading Obama's book, FINALLY. I've been reading this for a minimum of 6 months and pick it up for about a chapter and then put it down for several months, so continuity has definitely been lacking. That said, it's a very clear statement of his policy and why he believes that. His chapter on race is definitely interesting, but the last chapter of the book is about family and how legislation about families (and family planning) should occur. In the process, he tells several stories about his and Michelle's family.

The one that struck me was him explaining his younger daughter's 5th birthday party, which he got to help plan. (He didn't usually get to do this because he was busy with political work.) Either way, the party involved taking kids to a gymnastics center and tumble around for a while. At the end, they took the birthday girl and put her in the center of a big multi-colored "parachute." They lofted her into the air several times and he described the sense of pure joy on her face and his hope for her happiness as follows:

"I wonder if Sasha will remember that moment when she is grown. Probably not; I can retrieve only the barest fragments of memories from when I was five. But I suspect that the happiness she felt on that parachute registers permanently in her; that such moments accumulate and embed themselves in a child's character, becoming a part of their soul."

As I pondered that eloquent statement, it occurred to me that I also have very few memories of being that age, but that I definitely identify with the notion of having many happy memories that seem to imprint themselves in who I am. I don't necessarily have very specific moments that are little pinpoints of happiness, but general imprints from many happy experiences over time: going to summer camp, sailing on Lake Superior, going to Grandma's house and eating Cheetos, finding "lost" quarters at Grandma and Grandpa's house, and spending beautiful summer nights with friends playing games. What moments have accumulated and embedded themselves in your character? Which experiences have become a part of your soul?

As a friend and I were discussing these types of memories, we decided that the joyful feelings we retain from childhood are their own gift. A happy childhood itself embeds itself in our character and impacts the rest of our lives. And for this, I'm abundantly grateful to my parents and grandparents. Thank you for everything.