'Memoir'—A Powerful Word!

Three generations of the Reeck family

The Power of Deep Memories Brought to Light

Consider the power in memoir. The English word is from the French memoire, meaning “memory.” Memory of what? Many episodes or events go into a modern memoir.

My memoir, Growing Green Two Ways!, includes episodes from my grandparents, parents, and brother and me. I tell them as I remember them. Any frazzled parent with a child or kids between 4 and 14 will find fascinating short episodes to read together as a family. For example, should a child feel that it’s appropriate to talk back to the parent? You bet! But when? Read these family episodes and use them to discuss parent-child relations without directly discussing your own. That’s using the power in memoir.

You might want to raise your consciousness of the spiritual dimension of nature. Growing Green offers many episodes that speak to experiencing nature as a value. Am I, the memoirist, pipe-dreaming, or have you experienced nature the same way? Tree huggers, take courage, stand up, and be known!

Some will find more direct interest in memories that deal with traditional religious matters. I write of the conservative Christian tradition in which I grew up. But there’s much more, including how I came to feel a call to ordained ministry and how I processed it, came to admire the Dalai Lama and a Catholic monk. Read and ponder, how does Darrell’s journey relate to the contemporary quest for spirituality?

Your first thought when you read the word “memoir” may be of dried bones. Nothing could be further from the truth. Those who forget the past will fail to avoid its mistakes and miss the benefit of reliving its enduring value. There’s power in memoir.