The reactions that we have to a circumstance reveal a lot about what we have inside our hearts. How we choose to deal with it reveals even more. We can choose to listen to the superficial voice that justifies us lashing out in anger, or to the still, small voice that usually tells us things about ourselves that we don't want to hear about.
Whatever action we take creates a memory. It is up to us whether we make it a good one or not - good not just for us but for those that are around us, as well. How well remembered it will be is determined by the action itself, the timing and ocassion, and how it reverberates with all those that we choose to involve.
We can make ourselves feel good for that moment by lashing out, dealing with the rebuke that follows later on, and picking up the pieces of all the hearts we have broken. Or, we may listen to the still, small voice, ask God to help us deal with our issues and lead us to a wiser course of action and save ourselves and others grief.
My memories evoke different emotions. There are those that make me happy, those that make me sad and then those that embarrass me. The first two usually involve actions by me and/or by those around me within a circumstance. The third one though, I put solely on me no matter who instigated it and how justified I feel at that moment. These are the actions and reactions I have had that does not make me proud - situations that I know I could have handled better if I thought beyond myself and how it made the others around me feel.
Remembering those times is what makes me more determined to create better memories for myself in the years to come. The other thing that helps me is remembering what my father always used to tell me. "No matter how right you are, you give up being right when the delivery of your message is wrong."
Human as I am, I am hoping that I have created and will continue to create more memories that will not cause me to go cold and hot in shame and dismay, but wrap me in happiness and warmth as I grow old.
