Stuff happens in our lives. Zany, spooky, poignant, tender. All of them stimulating and challenging. Eventually we move on from our experiences, hopefully wiser from what we've learned. The Latin, experientia means knowledge gained by repeated trials. We need to be reminded of things that have transpired; to be guided and equipped as we steer our way through life's passages. There are memories recalled, diaries kept, journals written, and stories related. "I want to write, but more than that, I want to bring out all kinds of things that lie buried deep in my heart," wrote 13-year-old Anne Frank in her diary. American novelist Jack London encourages us to preserve our thoughts. "Keep a notebook. Travel with it, eat with it, sleep with it. Slap into it every stray thought that flutters up your brain. Cheap paper is less perishable than gray matter. And lead pencil markings endure longer than memory.
