What we remember
“Memory fades, memory adjusts, memory conforms to what we think we remember.” ~Joan Didion
When you repeat an old story at a family gathering, your parent or another relative might say, That’s not exactly how it happened.
In my memoir workshops, we spend a fair amount of time discussing how memories are altered over time. Quite often, our recollection of an event is different from someone else’s, especially if the story involves a perpetrator and a victim. This applies to humorous stories as well as tragic ones.
Retrospect isn’t always reliable.
It all boils down to these questions: What’s the emotional truth of your memory? Why is this particular story memorable to you? What lessons did your memory teach? ~CL
Click here to read my feature story on the mental health benefits of writing your memoirs.
Cindy La Ferle
Throughout my career, I've worked as a book production editor, travel magazine editor, features writer, and weekly newspaper columnist. My award-winning lifestyles features and essays have appeared in many national magazines and anthologies, including Newsweek, Reader's Digest, The Christian Science Monitor, Writer's Digest, Victoria, Better Homes & Gardens, Bella Grace, and more. My weekly Sunday "Life Lines" column ran for 14 years in The Daily Tribune (Royal Oak, MI) and won a First Place (Local Columns) award from the Michigan Press Association. My essay collection, Writing Home, includes 93 previously published columns and essays focusing on parenthood and family life.
