Sabbath Reflections - Remembering

Remembering provides a great tutorial in life. Our son, Lincoln, made mention of an interesting fact when studying chemistry, that our memories are the sum of neurological and chemical reactions in our brains. And, yet our memories are visually evident, real and impacting, and can become great tutorials in life. Whether the quiet reflections from listening to familiar music being sung or played, or reflecting upon familiar environs, words or phrases spoken, our minds hearken back to personal experiences or memories that have touched us in some way. Whenever I hear Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young sing "Teach Your Children" or "Helpless," my mind hearkens back to a road trip to Colorado taken 38 years ago. Or, when I hear the early Beatles tunes, I am carried back some 44 years ago to feelings and experiences of my early teen years. Memories that are not ever present in my mind, but triggered by some external event. It is in remembering that we can be prompted and motivated to act!

Remembering can also provide for great teaching moments. While visiting with our sons and daughters and their children, and most often when tend to the grandkids at bedtime, we are often asked to tell them a story; something from our past. Most recently, when spending some time with Mabel and Oliver at bedtime, they asked each night for a story about Pa and Grandma. It is in these moments and others that we can, through remembrance, teach our children. Replete through the scriptures, we are reminded to "remember." Helaman taught his sons Nephi and Lehi to remember, for whom they were named. He further taught:

O remember, remember, my sons, the ^awords which king Benjamin spake unto his people; yea, remember that there is no other way nor means whereby man can be saved, only through the ^batoning blood of Jesus Christ, who shall come; yea, remember that he cometh to ^credeem the ^dworld.

And remember also the words which Amulek spake unto Zeezrom, ^ain the city of Ammonihah; for he said unto him that the Lord surely should come to redeem his people, but that he should not come to redeem them in their sins, but to redeem them from their sins.

And he hath power given unto him from the Father to redeem them from their sins because of repentance; therefore he hath ^asent his angels to declare the tidings of the conditions of repentance, which bringeth unto the power of the Redeemer, unto the salvation of their souls.

And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the ^arock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your ^bfoundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty ^cstorm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

With 240 references to 'remembering' in the Book of Mormon, we are provided a great tool, by clear illustration, for teaching our children and others. May we create memories, record them, reflect upon them and use them as they are meant, to tutor us and those that we love in what truly matters. I take great joy in the remembrances of my mom and dad, for in them are quiet retreats that bring peace, joy and happiness. It is in the quiet reflections upon the memories of our lives, and in the memories of those that love us, that we are strengthened and enabled, even with perspective, to meet the full measure of our creation. Amid the commotion of all things, it is in remembering what truly matters, that we are motivated to live as we are meant to live, and experience the joy that is intended.