tag salted ‘memories’
I grew up in the country one of five children.We all had our chores to do but looking back we didn’t know when we were well of.We were loved and cared for by our excellent parents who wanted us all to do well and have a better life then they had they lived for our welfare.
One of my early memories is of coming round from some infection to find both my parents watching at the bedside, I began to realise how powerful their love was for each, and all of us. Loving memories support us when we are sad, they can stabilise us in times of deep need and trauma.
As a young child I remember the pigs were still killed on the farm, and it was hard work dividing them up and preserving them in salt then they had to be hung in a storage room so they could mature.
The metaphor is a good one regarding preserving and maturing our memories.Christmas is a time for memories of those who have passed on thinking about how it used to be and for remembering the way things were done in the past versus how they are done now.There are , however many memories imbued with sorrow which can be hidden away to fester and rot within us. We need to talk about our members to our friends and loved ones, or to a professional therapist in some cases.Talking allows the memories to be savoured tasted and then we can decide whether to keep them for our wisdom store for sharing or maybe to let go those which taste bad but it is important that we take an opportunity, if we are able to process the bad tasting ones as we may be able to transform them also into wisdom for our store.
The very famous words of Jesus in Matt 5:13 are very relevant here.Ye are the salt of the earth, but if the salt have lost its savour wherewith shall it be salted?Without the salting ‘curing process’ the pigs would have rotted, instead of maturing to support the families food bank for the winter. If we do not share our memories they will rot away, and if we do not process the sour and painful ones they will fester and literally stink up our lives with unpleasant spoiling feelings like anger, resentment, and jealousy to mention just a few.There is an increasing trend for salted products which flies in the face of fears regarding the dangers of salt to blood pressure and general health. However there is also some schools of thought re salt bringing out the sweetness in biscuits and similar products I
aoibheann thoughtful reflections 