Treasure Your Memories

I had a couple of things happen this week that caused me to stop and remember past events. The first was the death of Ernie Harwell. As a young boy we spent many summer evenings at my grandparents house in Jenison, Michigan. My grandpa had this big, old tube radio in his garage. You might remember the kind. It stood about 4 feet tall and took forever to warm up. Anyways, grandpa had hooked up some speakers outside attached to the eaves in the back of the house. Now this isn't too uncommon of an occurrence these days but we're talking mid 1960's here. Well grandpa was an ardent Detroit Tigers Fan. In fact we made sure that there was Tiger memorabilia laid to rest with him. But I digress. Many a summer night was filled with my dad, grandpa and me sitting in the backyard listening to Tiger games. I can still tell you the line up from back then. The thing I remember the most is the distinct voice and characteristics of Ernie Harwell. His voice always made me think of my grandpa's back yard and the times we shared.
The other event was the passing of a long time friend, Phil Thompson. Phil was a little older than me but he made many impressions on me. I can remember when he ran for President of the Student Council in 6th grade. He incorporated John Kennedy's PT 109 into his campaign. PT of course standing for Phil Thompson. Phil also seemed to be an creative genius. He once hooked up a doorbell for his bedroom he shared with his brother Tim. He also was creative with woodworking as well. Phil succumbed to ALS, Lou Gehrig's Disease, this week. The last few years Phil and I had a falling out but I am still grieved at his passing. I will forget our differences and instead remember him for the creative and unique person he was.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that create, remember, and cherish your memories. Life changes daily. You can't relive the past, but don't forget it. Live your life to it's fullest with no regrets.