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Memories Of Loved Ones By Benedict T. Palen, Jr.

Benedict T. Palen, Jr. - It is human nature that, as the holiday season approaches, we think of loved ones who are no longer part of our lives. This time of year is bittersweet as we enjoy time with our friends and families, but also we rue the absence of those who were such essential parts of our lives.

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Memories Of Loved Ones By Benedict T. Palen, Jr.

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  1. Memories Of Loved Ones By Benedict T. Palen, Jr. It is human nature that, as the holiday season approaches, we think of loved ones who are no longer part of our lives.    This time of year is bittersweet as we enjoy time with our friends and families, but also we rue the absence of those who were such essential parts of our lives.  For me, my parents are greatly missed.   Even though they have been gone since the early 2000s, I still carry in the folder that goes with me whenever I am away from home, two now faded and wrinkled sheets of paper.  On that paper, I wrote thoughts that spoke of the feelings in my heart when my mother passed away.  One of the passages was especially meaningful; all these years later, I have forgotten where I found it, but here it is:

  2. Memories Of Loved Ones By Benedict T. Palen, Jr. When elephants come across the bones of one of their species, they appear to mourn. The circle the bones, curl their trunks around them, marvel at their feel, and sometimes carry them for a short distance.  They show no interest in the bones of other animals.  It is only when they realize that a fellow elephant has been lost that they are compelled to perform such rituals.      Humans share this intense need to memorialize.   It may be that, when the story of a life has ended, there is part of ourselves forever lost, the reflection of us that we see in another’s eyes. Through remembering, we keep this part of us alive along with the deceased. It is the ultimate paradox; by recalling death, we invoke life. 

  3. Memories Of Loved Ones By Benedict T. Palen, Jr.  Of all the technological brass rings human have grabbed, eliminating pain, suffering, and death, have not been among them.  It seems that we are unable to build upon the wisdom of our ancestors when we face the hardest of tasks. We all, in one way or another, must start from scratch when we confront the essential lessons of being human—lessons of life, lessons of love, lessons of loss.

  4. Memories Of Loved Ones By Benedict T. Palen, Jr.  Somehow, we manage to learn them. Elephants finally drop the bones of their brethren, and start off down the dusty trail that leads to the future.  But it is likely true that they never forget.  Neither do humans. And that, after all, may be the most bittersweet of gifts.

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