Scars...

Inside my right wrist, about two inches down from the joint there's a small white scar. Its been there for well over thirty years, probably closer to thirty-five...from a dog bite when I was a kid. "Dooney" the family cocker-spaniel who was normally a happy, friendly dog, apparently didn't like me reaching for the tag on his collar, and he nipped me. It's amazing that a memory so old can still be as vivid...I can still hear myself crying and can remember all the blood, because there's a vein right under the scar. It's not that I recall that event every day, but when I do see the scar, which has nearly faded, it does bring back memories.

This weekend is the fourth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's assault on the Gulf Coast. Saturday morning I wrote to some friends these words: Time heals, memories fade, but hearts never forget...

This is probably the first year that I wasn't "down" for these days. Katrina drained a lot of us to the point of breaking. She decimated a land that we knew, and a way of life for thousands. Since that time, I've had the opportunity to deliver lectures on the emotional/psychological impact of major disasters for emergency responders. Each time I lectured, I wound up in a "funk" for several days after, all because of reliving those memories.

This year was different though, as the memories have started to fade, and time has started to heal. Along the way though, I pushed aside many close friends, and family. At the time, I didn't deal with the psychological traumas, and there are permanent scars to show from it. Time does heal though, but a scar remains.

Mark Twain said, "we should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom that is in it - and stop there; lest we be like the cat that sits down on a hot stove-lid. She will never sit down on a hot stove-lid again - and that is well; but also she will never sit down on a cold one anymore."

What does that mean? I'm not worried about dogs. I learned my lesson about how to interact with them. I'm also now more keenly aware that I'm not able to "fix" problems for anyone, and I need to take care of myself some. I fight off minor "funks" from time to time now, and they're only occasionally more than a passing problem. But that doesn't mean I'm going to turn a blind eye and walk away from issues. The cat in Twain's quote learned not to sit on a hot stove-lid, but she never tried to sit on a cold one either; educated, but not wise.

Ok it's 11:30 at night and I'm starting to wander....but I just wanted to get some stuff out of my head.

Time heals, memories fade, but hearts never forget.....