What day will you remember from 2018?

Creativity, Gratitude, Happiness, Health, Inspiration, Life, Life's little moments, photography, Writing 2 Minutes

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Do you remember the day your child was born?…. the birth of your grandchild?….your wedding day?.…the day a loved one dies?

The end of December is often a time of reflection, recalling many of the events from the last 12 months.  2018 was filled with many positive moments, some noteworthy and some long forgotten.  I have to refer back to my photos and to my calendar to jog my memory.

The one day in 2018  I will never forget is the day my Grandson was born.  

I remember the adrenaline cursing through my body when we received the phone call to rush to the hospital.  I remember my daughter’s labour and how I wanted to alleviate her pain, yet how helpless I felt.  I remember the love on my daughter’s face when she held her son for the first time.

I remember the joy I felt and how I was overcome with emotion hearing his newborn cries, seeing him for the first time, the miracle of life.

These memories are forever etched in my mind.  I vividly remember the details of that day.

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 Yet, I cannot immediately recall what I did a week ago.

There has been a great deal of research done investigating the relationship between emotion and memory.  We create longer lasting memories in emotionally charged situations. 

This is a complex subject with many individual variations.

Events surrounded by positive emotions are usually remembered better than events surrounded by negative emotions. 

Different emotional states may impair memory.  Strong emotional states can result in persistent vivid memories of stressful events (PTSD).

 Gender differences influence memory.  Men and women may remember events differently.

Our age affects the details we remember.  As we get older, unpleasant memories fade faster and pleasant memories get stronger.    learn more here   and here 

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I can look back on my own life and clearly recall details from emotional events that occurred many decades ago.  I can also remember how I felt on that day and tears (of joy or sadness) can easily resurface.

                 the birth of my own children……. the timing of events on that day, the colour of the socks I was wearing, even what I had to eat that day…….my feelings of relief, euphoria and love

                  my Father’s funeral…….how my body would not stop shaking and my daughter held my hand to steady it, memories and photos shared that day, the blue sky…….an overwhelming feeling of sadness

                    my daughter and son-in-law’s wedding…….the beaming, genuine smiles on their faces, the look of love in their eyes, the ocean breeze…….my tears of love and joy

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I think most of us have vivid recollections of events when we were in a heightened state of emotion.  We can recall details from that day and how we felt. 

The end of the year is often a time we reminisce on the special moments of the last 12 months.  2018 was a good year for us, creating many memories with our loved ones.  What events took place?  What did I do?  Where did I travel?  What do I remember?

I do know that I will never forget the day in April that my Grandson was born, an emotional day filled with intense feelings of gratitude, joy, and love. 

What day will you remember from 2018?

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17 thoughts on “What day will you remember from 2018?”

  1. Hi, Erica – What a great question. No instant 2018 reply came to mind for me. Then when I asked myself, “What did I do in January?” “What did I do in February?”…. that immediately lead to family and travel (usually a combination of both). Wishing you a wonderful 2019 that is filled with lifelong, positive memories!

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    1. Hi Donna, We have the privilege of living close to our children and then family scattered all across Canada. Wishing you and your family a wonderful holiday season, and sharing new stories in 2019! Nice to have you in my time zone! 😊

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      1. You’re welcome, Erica! I agree with you that there’s a lot to be grateful.

        Cheers to a fruitful new year! I am hoping to go back to my regular blogging soon. Have a wonderful holiday season too!

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  3. I love watching the evolution of your blog. You have added links. I know you must have researched a ton to find a way to “get er done”. I almost missed the links. At first I thought maybe you were making notes to yourself that you forgot to delete but then I hovered with my cursor and underlines appeared. Way cool!

    My memory has never been that good. I used to hate it when friends would get together and play the “do you remember when” game. I didn’t. I used to take pictures; lots of pictures. Many times I was told to put the camera way and live in the moment. I didn’t; I was. Years later when a friend asked me if I still had those pictures I was able to play the game because I was there through my lense, my memory.

    Of course 2018 was special with the birth of our first grandson. Nothing can top that! I remember sitting in the hospital waiting room, alone, waiting to hear he was with us, my camera ready. I was there. My heart pounding through my chest, tears wellling as I was reflecting on the birth of both of my daughters. But this was different. A waiting room.

    When you and Josh came around the corner, or maybe it was just you or was it just Josh. I don’t know; I can’t remember. What I do remember is that my daughter wanted me there to witness the birth, their miracle. Lense cap off, respectful positioning and my memory is ready. I remember the chit chat, the dirty comments, nurses bustling, witnessing the pain oh the pain. I remember seeing Josh well up with tears as he shared your pain. Then the wake up call … Josh and I both jumped, startled by the water breaking. I remember helping get her on the bed. I remember the nurse saying we had a couple of hours to go then being called back before she got out the door. Charlie couldn’t wait and neither could I; camera ready, memory on….April 12, 2018, 5:05am, 7lbs 5 oz, 51cm.

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    1. Thanks for your comment and noticing the links…..new terminology for me dealing with “links” and “hyperlinks” and of course, after you do it once, it’s pretty straightforward. I tried to change the colour, although, I think my theme does not allow it. Re: photos, I do appreciate how it actually keeps you in the moment. I like how you said “through my lens, my memory”…..and you win, your comment made me cry.

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  4. Great post Erica!
    Emotions do connect memories to us…2018 was most memorable because it was the year I retired…and that was FULL of emotions! And you know how I am working to create memories with my grandchildren and children instead of giving them “things”.
    Loved this!

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    1. Thank you for your comment, Nancy. It was fun to learn more about emotions and memory. And as your posts indicate, we don’t stop learning. Congratulations on retirement. You are likely already saying “how did I have time to work”. Enjoy the holiday season making more memories.

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  5. What a great day to remember Erica! And congratulations on the birth of your grandson! He sure is a cutie!

    I do think the recollections during heightened states do become the most vivid.

    We had some amazing experiences in Aruba and then I traveled back to the UK with my mom, but probably the most memorable day was watching my firstborn son walk across the stage to get his high school diploma.

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  7. Lovely post, and a hearty congratulations on your grandchild, Erica. It’s an interesting proposition about memories, and whether men and women process them differently. I have three siblings — all female — and not one of us ever remembers any particular recollection the same. Then again, families are probably a whole different subset than gender. 🙂 – Marty

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    1. Thanks, Marty, we are also a family of 4 siblings (3 girls 1 boy)and we can have 4 different versions of an event, or it takes the 4 of us to piece together a memory. Women are more likely to remember everyday events and men better with directions (lots of online info) Not fair to generalize, of course, and thank goodness for the GPS! Thanks for your input and all the best wishes for you and your loved ones this season!

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  8. Beautiful photos. Erica. Especially that last one would steal everybody’s heart. What a cute boy (and cat). 🙂

    I hope you’re right that as we get older the positive memories are stronger or linger longer than the negative ones. I must not have reached that age yet, since my strongest memories (or the ones that evoke the most emotions) are sad events having to do with loss. Still. Maybe time will heal those wounds. That being said, I am getting better at being grateful for the beauty in my life and the small things that make me happy.

    What stood out in 2018? Let’s think… I better have an answer as I plan on writing my end-of-the-year blog post on Wednesday. 🙂 My mother-in-law going through two brain surgeries in January didn’t start 2018 off on a good note. But, she healed really well. And, Mark and I managed to live and travel in our camper van over the summer, so that was certainly a highlight!

    Happy holidays to you and yours!!

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    1. Thank you, Liesbet….of course, we do think he is a cutie. Tremendous amount of information on memory and I don’t know if I totally agree with the likelihood on remembering positive memories more, although, like you said, time does help heal wounds. I will have to look back and check out your camper van experiences. Glad to hear your Mother-in-law healed well. I wish you and your loved ones a good holiday season and looking forward to your end of year post!

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