Mar 04, 2025

Waking up family memories: How stories keep loved ones close

Waking up family memories: How stories keep loved ones close

On a recent visit to the UK to see family and friends, I noticed that meeting up and recalling past shared experiences awakened cherished memories and thoughts that had been dormant sometimes for many years.

When I visited my aunt in her late eighties, I enjoyed the opportunity to reminisce and smile about stories and events she had not thought about for a long time. She sat back in her chair with her eyes closed and a gentle grin on her face when recalling emotions that awakened her soul.

Another elderly relative shared happiness and contentment while recalling long-forgotten memories. She vividly described how childhood memories flood her mind when she thinks about past special events, evoking a deep sense of joy and euphoria.

Being nostalgic affects the brain and helps promote an increased production of dopamine, which creates a sense of well-being.

We create memories every moment of the day; those memories are embedded into our minds and forgotten until someone awakens them.

With a blink of an eye, the past can reignite, causing smiles and filling the air with laughter and joy. Sometimes, we recall the past with rose-tinted glasses; our minds can readjust to make the memory even more pleasurable.

It is down memory lane that we can wander aimlessly to pick and choose the favourite memories we like to indulge in.

We all experience nostalgia when listening to music and songs that had meaning to us in the past, flicking through photographs and images of loved ones.

My cousin remarked that when his son from Australia telephones next, he will remind him of the stories we had spoken about, jokingly saying, “Knowing my memory, if I remember our talk, that would be a miracle.”

Recent bereavement within the family brought a solemn theme to the atmosphere, although it was quickly deflected by stories of a younger version of the recently deceased person and the mischief they got up to.

I left my aunt & uncle’s house with a lasting memory of reigniting the past with images and thoughts to restore purpose and meaning to our lives. The past becomes the present, and the future is in our hands to unfold new memories that will once again become the past.

With just a blink of an eye, the past can come alive, bringing smiles and filling the air with laughter and joy. We often reflect on our memories through rose-tinted glasses, allowing our minds to reshape them and enhance their pleasure.

This adjustment can make even the simplest moments seem more delightful, reminding us of the joy that our memories can bring.

“When you are old and grey and full of sleep,

And nodding by the fire, take down this book,

And slowly read and dream of the soft look.

Your eyes had once, and of their shadows deep”;

William Butler Yeats.

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  1. That took me down memory lane and the wonderful times I had as a child. They never leave you. Thanks for reawakening mine Michael, I’m donut more often after your lovely story.

  2. Great story Michael. Thanks for reminding us of the power of reminiscence and reuniting sometimes dormant family bonds. As my older relatives move through their late seventies and eighties I am aware that they may not be around much longer, so I appreciate the time that I get to spend with them.

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