Through Memory's Eyes
by Dave Hayes '71
We slowly gather on the chapel steps for class pictures as a fast-paced game of soccer plays out before us on the quad. The irony is not lost on those assembled and even as the cameras begin to focus, we remember ourselves on this very playing field, unaware of a group of senior citizens behind us. What happened to the years in between? When did "we" become "them?" The reflections in the lens are suddenly surprising: we are aware of the gray hair and weathered faces but they seem strangely out of place in this sanctuary of our youth.
Yet at the clicking of the shutters, we are instantly transported in time and spirit even as we remain in place. We no longer notice the wrinkles or slower pace or blurred vision—rather the vitality and charm of our youth. The smiles and good-natured comments sound reassuringly familiar—voices from our past surround us as if time has melted away. And through memory's eyes we see our classmates as we first knew them and as we so fondly remember them. Voices become stronger and we stand straighter knowing that we are no longer the same. This transcendence gives us access past the physical to the essence of whom we were and of whom we have become.
Conversations become richer as shared memories blend with the realities of present circumstances—years and years of living vie for attention amid snippets of dorm life, chapel attendance, waiting tables at Gao or the rigors of academic demands. We see not the older person before us but the youngster we once knew and we realize the two are one and the same. And in that moment we pause, thankful for a common place and time that become uncommon in their lasting impressions on us—a time of change as we matured past adolescence into young adulthood, in stature, in emotion and in faith. Together we formed lasting bonds of friendship and mutual caring that have lasted long past the seemingly carefree days of Frisbee tournaments and snowball battles.
Awareness and insight we now accept as gifts—not from ourselves but from the One who knew us then and has walked with us through the times of our lives and surrounds those gathered at this moment on the chapel steps. His creation is reflected in the summer beauty before us and in the affection around us.
Loving embraces, heartfelt conversations and longing memories fade in the afternoon campus shadows but we are forever grateful for these moments in time both past and present that are now etched into the photo albums of our minds.
