You know how some things just automatically trigger certain memories? Well, it seems to be songs with me.
And last night, just as I was about to lay my head down to sleep I Will Remember You by Sarah McLachlan came on the radio.
Suddenly I was back almost four years ago in mid-autumn of 2000, sitting on the floor of Heather's room, with her, cleaning.
One of our good friends, Alyce with a y, was a DJ for a local radio station and we were listening to her. We knew at that time that it was to be our last year in Missouri and Dad had just left that day to begin his job in Mass. Alyce was signing off for the night and she left her listening audience with this message:

Thank you everyone for listening to (whatever the station was) tonight and I leave you with just one more song. This songs is dedicated to a great friend and mentor of mine, Greg Watka. Although he isn't here to hear it, it will be with him in spirit.

And within the next 30 seconds, multiple tears were dampening my carefree, youthful cheeks as I twisted a seashell necklace through my fingers... refusing to look at the little girl sitting beside me. We both knew the other was crying but it took until there was only about a minute left in the song for us to look at each other. Once we did, it was all over. I just looked at my mirror image in that little girl with identical thoughts and fears, stood up, took three steps, and sat again on the floor, hugging my little sister as if the world was crashing down around us.

And well... for two young girls of 11 and 13,

it was.


:) So here's to the memories of yesteryear.
May they never be forgotten.