If you heard the name of someone you knew casually 40 years ago, would you remember that you had been friends - perhaps have shared a meal, or attended parties together? Your answer is probably "Yes," but in reality, so many people pass through our life for brief periods, that it's unlikely that we'd remember them all - especially if the name was not particularly unusual.
In 1993, my son was accepted to West Point. So that we would have some idea as to what he could expect, he, his Dad and I all read the book "The Long Gray LIne" about the West Point class of 1966. The book followed several cadets from that class through their experience at the Academy and beyond. One name sounded a bit familiar to me, but it was a fairly common name. As I continued reading and following his Army career, I became more convinced that I had worked with him in Vietnam, in 1969-70. But to verify, I went back to the journals I had kept during my time there.
Sure enough, there it was... "Had lunch with Jack Wheeler today." We weren't close, but we hung out in the same group of 25-30 year olds, and had lunch together occasionally. We did not stay in touch after he left Vietnam; he was just another of the many people who came and went during the four years I was there.
Last night, my son called to tell me that he believed my old acquaintance Jack Wheeler, was the same John P Wheeler who had been murdered and found in a landfill in Delaware last week. I had seen the news report on TV - even saw the picture (a much thinner man than I remembered), but I didn't connect "John P Wheeler" with my friend "Jack Wheeler."
Unfortunately, it is one and the same.
So what's my point? Had I not kept a journal in Vietnam, not written his name in it, I can't swear that I would have remembered for sure that the man I had read about, and whose death I was now hearing about on the national news, was the same person I had worked with.
By keeping a journal, you will "remember" the people, events, and times that contributed to the person you''ve become; because everything - and everyone - adds to who you are in some small way.
If you're a journaler already, you've got a wonderful basis for beginning to write your life story. If you've never gotten the hang of keeping a regular log of your life's activities, just be a "note-taker" or "list-maker." Jot down names, places, events, successes, challenges, acts of kindness, or things that made you laugh. You don't need to write pages of description, just enough to help you remember, whether a year from now - or 40 years from now.
Make this a goal for the coming year - at least once a week, jot down whatever you feel worth remembering for the future. Because, you just never know...
Rest in Peace Jack Wheeler
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