Forgetting Isn't Failing

Have you heard of this lady, Jill Price? I saw a news story on her over the weekend.

Jill Price has baffled doctors for years. She has a memory that recalls just about all of the events of her life. You can name any date and she can not only tell you what she was doing on that day, but any other events that happened in the news that she heard about during that day.

Instead of wondering, "Where has the time gone?", Jill can remember everything she's done in her life, down to even the most minute details. Scientists have been studying her for several years now, in the hopes of finding out what affects our memory. This could help them with some of their research on what causes and prevents memory loss and Alzheimer's. Brain scans of Jill Price have shown extremely high levels of activity in certain areas of the brain that are well above what is considered normal, and this may account for how her memory functions.

What would it be like to be able to call up your childhood friend and say, "Do you remember what we were doing on this day, 20 years ago?" I would love to be able to perfectly recall all of the trips I've taken and neat things I've seen.

With the good memories, though, also come the bad. Jill says that she recalls not just the joyous events in her life, but also the painful ones. She says that she remembers every hurtful word said to her, and regrets how she acted on so many occasions in her life. She also relives the day her husband died, over and over. She said that's been the hardest struggle of her life - finding a way to deal with regret and learning to live in the present.

I am thankful that God created me so that over time, I can forget. Isn't that an incredible design, though? We're made, for the most part, to be able to overcome hard times and eventually forget a lot of the painful details. I often remember more of the good things about something than the bad, and am grateful for that.

During the first few months that we were married, Matt and I were living in Dallas. I was still looking for a job a long way from where I called home, and didn't know anyone nearby other than my new husband. Matt had to travel for his job, and I had nothing to do all day. It was a hard time for me. I was left alone with just my thoughts for the better part of the day, and it was torturous. I would dream about and remember all kinds of things that I hadn't thought about for years. I'd find myself getting upset about something that I'd done when I was 12.

Being active and exercising your brain daily is probably the best way I know from allowing yourself to go crazy. I was tormented with my memories, as broken and incomplete as they were, when I wasn't able to keep myself occupied. I can't imagine having to relive all of both the good and the bad every moment of my life. I'm so thankful that I forget!