On Donnie's Birthday

 

Our brains are weird.

They remember random things from decades ago

But can’t remember what we did last week!

 

Today is one of my best friends from growing up’s birthday.

 

His mama was my piano teacher,

So I spent a lot of time at his house,

Hanging out before and after lessons.

 

One afternoon, we stood in the kitchen and

Ate an entire block of fresh mozzarella cheese.

 

Another afternoon, we sat in his room and

Talked about the contents of our wallets.

 

We went to church together.

We played in the band together.

We were in our first stage production (Godspell) together,

And we helped paint the set together.

 

My senior year of high school,

He drove three hours to take me to the prom.

He arrived in bedazzled Tevas.

I should have known then that he’d become a successful fashion designer in NYC!

 

Our brains are weird.

They remember random things from decades ago

But can’t remember what we did last week!

 

Who is someone special that you remember today?

One of your childhood best friends? A college friend? A former colleague? A family member?

What is a special memory that you hold of them?

It might be random like eating a block of mozzarella cheese or talking about wallets,

Or it could be more poignant, like driving three hours to show up.

 

Regardless,

When it’s all said and done,

The memories that we have and the stories that we tell

Are all that we have to hold to on this earth.

 

Dear God: Thank you for our memories. For laughter. For smiles. For tears. And thank you for the people in our lives with whom we share those memories, both good and bad. Amen.