Memories

Your town is probably like my town.  A favorite store, restaurant or hang out has closed in the past few years due to our declining economy.  Some were big chain stores,some were locally owned.  We have memories tied up in places.  Or at least I do.  I have so many great memories from college in Phoenix, at Grand Canyon University.  I made great friendships, even though I was a bit older than my friends, I completely dove into college life and living on campus.

My closest girlfriends were Kristen (Woods) Spiker and Marta (Oti) Sears.  Back in the day, there was a "one-movie only" theater called the Cine Capri at the corner of 24th St. and Camelback Rd.  It had been there a long time, very grand inside, the curtain would open and close.  Us three college girls would dress up on a Saturday, go see a movie there and then go out to eat.  I can remember we saw, "Circle of Friends" and "The Joy Luck Club" and "The Age of Innocence." 

I remember Marta and I bawling through "The Joy Luck Club," it dealt with mother/daughter relationships and abandonment issues.  And Kristen having her moment during "The Age of Innocence."  These times are still fresh in my mind.  The very last movie I ever saw there was "Braveheart."

Jeff and I were dating and working with the singles at our church. He had already seen it and really wanted me to see it also.  So one of the guys from our group, Matt Morales and I went to see it at the Cine Capri.  I will never forget it.  That movie was so stirring and emotional that when it was over we both walked out and neither one of us could speak.  We walked to our cars and drove off.  It made such an impact.  Those are my memories of this theater. 

It's been closed for some time, for years and years.  So is the memory tied up in a place or in people? Maybe a bit of both.  I saw "Les Miserables" yesterday and truth be told I was prepared to have a full-on cry fest.  Brought two packages of Kleenex.  Nothing emotionally happened for me.  I wanted it to.  I thought it was great but I felt no connection.  This has really been bothering me.

You see the first time I was introduced to "Les Miserables," was on stage by Jeff the day he proposed to me in June 1996.  It was a magical day.  I saw this incredible musical before he popped the question; the story of redemption was so powerful, I cried throughout the show.  And then a couple years ago, Music Theater of Wichita put it on at Century II.  I could not stop bawling, it was a combination of remembering Jeff and the production.  

All that said, memories are one of God's greatest gifts. Imagine if you didn't have them to draw from.  Of course as we get older, there's so many to choose from.  If you have lost a loved one, you cannot have them back but you have the memories of their life with you.  That's pretty priceless.  If you find yourself forgetting things, start writing them down or journaling.  

If you've had a particularly painful, damaging life, I suppose you wouldn't want to think about your memories.  I imagine you might ask God to help you replace those with new ones, it's never to late to move past your past.  I know this firsthand, always a work in progress, I am.

I would love to hear about some of your favorite "location/friend/family" memories.  Please share if you have a moment.  Wishing you all a Happy New Year filled with wonderful memories!