Life goes by so very quickly … the days flow into weeks and then to years and decades.

Luckily, our lives present us with opportunities to mark time.

My husband says that I am the Queen of Anniversaries.  Not just romantic but of all events – good and bad;  deaths, accomplishments, failures, strife and other random moments that I don’t forget and mark in my calendar every year. 

I believe that all are needed to add perspective to our lives.

In some ways it can slow the passage of time by breaking up our everyday flow and affording us the chance to celebrate and reflect.  Opportunities to get together with friends, family and those important to us who have shared in that moment of our lives.  To create new memories.

In other ways, acknowledging these events can make us feel that time is going by more quickly – Can’t believe it has been X years since that happened!

I mark the days that each of my parents passed and also the day that they were married.

I mark the day that I was diagnosed with cancer and the last day of my chemotherapy.

I mark the day I met my husband, the day we moved in together, our wedding and our honeymoon.

I mark my friend’s birthdays, their wedding anniversaries and when they have a book launch and each year that they achieve recognition in their jobs.

What this amounts to is almost every week now there is something to remember.  Something to celebrate.  Something to recall that meant something.

5 years cancer free for me this year, 35+ years for a friend in her work history, 33 years since my Mom passed.   31 years living in Vancouver this year … various cat birthdays …

Good and bad.   All these experiences make us who we are.

All need to be marked and remembered or there will be no relevance to our lives.

Celebrate every birthday.  Celebrate anniversaries of accomplishments ~ they will encourage more.

Remember sad times.  Remember people lost.

Our lives should be filled with these markers. We are the sum of all of these experiences.

Do not shy away from keeping a history.  That is what reminds us of who we are and what makes us thankful for where we are.