You know, it could just be my extended family, but my mom's side of the family has always seen the power and the whimsy in reminiscing about the "Good Ole' Days." My grandfather in particular has told so many stories over the years about his Notre Dame Football days down to the reinactment of the speeches his coach used to give, his buddies and other stories in between. And I used to think to myself: How does he remember all of those details? But now I think to myself-If those were his most whimsical moments, how could he possibly forget them?

Some may see reminiscing as a weakness or just a sign that you are living or maybe even stuck in the past. However, I have never seen these stories as such but rather an individual truly appreciating the beauty in the experience he or she had and realizing how much this experience shaped them over time. Sometimes, you do not realize the importance of the experience until it is gone anyways. It's a realization that there are small and sometimes even medium sized moments that have truly shaped one's soul. And these memories are the soul pieces and recollections that hold the most weight. They are the stories that are worth being told because they hold such heart, such beauty and such important life lessons that it is impossible to forget them. They deserve to be passed on and multiplied-heard and loved. 

One of my very good friends came in this weekend as a quick weekend getaway. He happens to be the twin brother of one of my most profound friends in high school who ironically, I only knew for one year in high school before she moved back to Korea. Since then, we have kept in touch and both he and his sister have essentially become our siblings. And this weekend I sat down for the first time in a long time and just talked for hours and hours about the past stories of high school and college of friends and challenges of old times (good and bad.) Some stories he had never heard before and other stories were stories mutually remembered but forgotten a bit over the years. And for whatever reason, I just felt this renewed sense of purpose in life. I think sometimes when you look back and you see just how carefully the chips had to fall to get you where you are today, you realize that there is something magical about these recollections. You realize these are the stories you wish to pass on to your children when they are older, stories that are worth spreading and always appreciating. 

Never should we forget "The good ole' days" because these are the days that have undoubtedly impacted our lives in ways we cannot even begin to imagine.