March 17, 2025: The Forgotten Things

A few months ago, I cleaned out a corner of the attic.

One box contained an assortment of knick-knacks, including a dusty journal. At first I didn’t recognize it, but when I opened the cover, the memories came rushing back. 

During a two-week trip to London with a church youth group, I had written in this little notebook. The food, the sights, the sounds… all preserved on those pages. I hadn’t seen it since 1997, and reading those entries transported me instantly to that time.

There’s something magical about reconnecting with pieces of the past, especially when they’re pulled into the light after years in the shadows.

Today, Jake organized cabinets in his childhood bedroom. He unearthed his posters, games, swimming ribbons, even old love notes. Treasures from a bygone season.

Among them, he found a license plate and a sports banner, which he liked so much that he hung them proudly on our garage wall. Items once forgotten, now given new life.

Maybe that’s part of the beauty of clearing out neglected spaces: the chance to remember why we saved certain objects.

In rediscovering them, we rediscover a bit of ourselves, too.