יום הזכרון

Today, in Israel, it is Yom Hazikaron, Memorial Day.       

At 11:00 AM this morning the siren rang, for a long moment.

To remember those who gave up their lives for this country. How important it is to remember, because the present is built on the past.

Ironically, I was just reading a chapter on memory in Dan Seigel’s book, The Whole Brain Child, where he explains that parents can teach their children how to benefit from remembering. Instead of letting painful memories burden us, we can use the power of recall to reprocess those experiences.

Dan writes “Sometimes parents hope that their children will “just forget about” painful experiences… what kids really need is… healthy ways to integrate implicit and explicit memories, turning even painful experiences into sources of power and self-understanding (page 77).”

So true - for children and adults, too. What memory do you need to remember and integrate into your life story?