After I wrote what I did yesterday about memory & its wonderful treasures, I had some second thoughts. All memories aren't treasures to be relished. Some carry only darkness -- painful, scarey, embarrassing, or tragic things from our past.

I've never really pondered why the chemisty and psychology of our minds hold on to our past. Why are some parts of of our personal history accessible at the merest suggestion and other parts buried so deep we can't get to them, if we even know they are there?

Professional psychologists may have answers to this question; I don't. I do know, however, that even a dark memory can sometimes be a gift. In this kind of memory I have seen parts of myself or other people that I wasn't aware of, and this insight has been a stepping stone to growth. For example, seeing new things about myself or others gives me new tools for developing or sustaining relationships. Then too, maybe I'll be more patient with myself or someone else; maybe I'll see something good I'd not been conscious of. Could all this be an example of the old truism: "It's always darkest before the dawn"?

a KY monk