Memories are a very special  blessing. Even those which bring tears or feelings of sadness, for even the most stressful of memories is inhabited by those we have cared for at some point in our lives.  Most times one finds in the remembrances  there is a smile hidden somewhere, even if the particular reminiscence brings a lump to your throat or a tear to your eye.

Perhaps because I  am growing older, and I do hope wiser, I find a very special  comfort in looking back from time to time and surrounding myself with old friends, old times, and the way things were when I was only just beginning this journey called life. Or perhaps it is because life was so much simpler then. People were kinder, the pace of living was slower, there were fewer dangers to confront in our day to day lives, and respect for others was a given. 

 No locked doors. No fears for our safety while at play. No need for constant supervision to protect us from predators. Fresh air  and sunshine filled our days. Family was important and divorce or separation the very rare exception. Schools were a place where the only danger which lurked was the thought of a failing grade. The things we worried about were so typical of youngsters.  Things like wishing our lives away as we grumbled about how long it was taking to grow up and get on with life. Remember how impatient we were ?  We wanted everything .. yesterday. 

 In those long ago days  nature and its creatures shared this earth with us with a genuine recognition that they too had their right  to their space. Nothing will ever replace the wonder of  a child's first glimpse of a baby bird only just out of its shell or a wee fawn taking it's first tentative steps  on the lush carpet of a wooded grove. Certainly not concrete or asphalt.  As we destroy our environment we steal the future from our grandchildren. How do we ever excuse that ?

 We began this journey filled with optimism and hope. What a crime that we may well be depriving our children and their children of the same  privileges.

 I do confess I feel at times that we have royally screwed up in our handling of that much yearned for maturity. Perhaps because the responsibility  for the life we will bequeath to our children is unquestionably ours. Can any of us say we have really provided a 'better life' for them than our parents and grandparents did for us ? Certainly we have  made enormous advances in modern living and life is easier in material ways but is it a 'better life'? I would seriously question that.

 Hatred of one's fellow man  is now commonplace and  poses unimagined threats to our world. Hatred breeds  a malignancy which becomes all encompassing. As our environment succumbs to the ravages of  modernity and as our enemies multiply should we not ask ourselves  if perhaps along the paths we have taken we have lost our way ? Homelessness in our society is a creeping threat to so many youngsters today. How do we possibly excuse that ? Our faith was once a haven  but now  is too often the match which ignites the animosity between neighbours and fellow inhabitants of this planet.  We so badly need to reassess our priorities and direction before it is really too late.

 Yes indeed, remembering the good old days  is a blessing. It really is true you know ... short term memory may be troublesome at times but the days of long ago can be as vivid as if they only just happened. It is so easy to  step back in time and be that young girl again for an hour or two when I do decide to  revisit those days. I do so wish more would take the time to  do likewise and to realize that although we may not have been as affluent a society  we were most definitely much richer in so many, many ways.

 The responsibility belongs to each and every one of us to see that we make course corrections  so that our children and grandchildren may have at least a chance of building a storehouse of memories to revisit in their golden years which  will stand the test of time as ours have done. Do we not owe them that ?

"Responsibility does not only lie with the leaders of our countries or  with those who have been appointed or elected to do a particular job.  It lies with each of us individually. Peace, for example, starts within  each one of us. When we have inner peace, we can be at peace with those around us. When our community is in a state of peace, it can share that peace with neighbouring communities, and so on. When we feel love and kindness towards others, it not only makes others feel loved and cared for, but it helps us also to develop inner happiness and peace. And there are ways in which we can consciously work to develop feelings of love and kindness. 

For some of us, the most effective way to do so is through religious practice. For others it may be non religious practices. What is important is that we each make a sincere effort to take our responsibility for each other and for the natural environment we live in seriously."