Memories are photographs taken by your heart. Some might be happy, funny, sad, sentimental, or even scary. Sometimes memories are hazy, fragmented or just seem trivial. Yet there is something that has made it stick in your memories. I feel like I thrive on my memories even the sad ones. When I used to have visits with Fran and the late Wendell Powell, it would only take the mention of a name or an event for Wendy and I to spend the evening retelling our memories. Fran said we remembered every time we sneezed---that is not exactly true. However, we could name every store around the square and name of owner. Short Quiz---Do you remember what used to be directly across the street from the Dixie Theater? Answer below---don’t cheat and look ahead. Not only are memories stored in my mind but in my senses. Mentioning Lucille Lewis brings the taste of a soft hamburger “all the way” which is mustard, ketchup and chopped onions. I had never heard of adding lettuce and tomato until I ordered at the Atlanta Varsity. The smell of hot fresh doughnuts brings back the Bazemore Bakery. I can close my eyes and still vision the white Georgia marble courthouse. Touch comes with the feel of crawling under my grandmother’s homemade quilt on a winter night. I tear up when I hear “Rambling Wreck” or “Off We Go into the Wild Blue Yonder” with happy thoughts of the boy from Arkansas. Precious memories—How They Linger and fill my soul. As the years continue to accumulate, I find that memory can be a problem, especially recalling a name of someone you should know well. I can easily tell you the name of my first-grade teacher, Miss Scarboro, but I struggle to say hello to my many new neighbors. I have learned devices to have a conversation without calling a name and hope to hear someone nearby speak to the unknown person. In my church we have name tags, but most folks (like me) forget to wear. Also, there are so many numbers necessary to remember. Boggles my mind. My memories are correct but my memory has left the building. My father’s stories still remain intact after seventy years. He told me that revered Senator Walter George had means of making everyone (especially voters) think he knew them well. On greeting, he would say, “I’ve always known you by your first name but can’t come up with your last.” Usually, the person would repeat the full name, and Senator George had an introduction. It must have worked. Voters kept him in office for 38 years. I love my memories, but I sure do wish I could find where my memory has gone. Answer to quiz…Bazemore’s Baker. Write to Shirley at sptwiss@gmail.com
