I was thinking today about what memories I have that seem to pop up regularly. I will admit that most of my early memories are not happy ones. I seem to remember the things that hurt much more easily than those that did not. I guess that speaks to my state of mind more than I like.

There are a few people that almost always come to mind in a happy loving way. First is my daughter Elisabeth, even when she's mad at me she still makes me smile. The second is my brother John. He is always there and always supportive. My mother, Rebecca of whom I have no bad memories of. Just shame in how I treated her. Grandmother Elizabeth L. Smiley who always tried to teach me something. As a teenager I had no concept of how good she was to me. As a parent I now see and shake my head at how selfish I was.

As an adult I try and focus on the positive things in my life. I look for the good in all things. I understand that which I see is filtered and colored by my life experiences. It is important to remove those glasses of Life and look on things from outside your point of view. In my arrogance I think that makes me different from most. I guess I still have a lot to learn.