(EDITOR’S NOTE: I saw this Facebook post by fellow Androsian Dr. Harris Evans on Monday, June 13, that I had to share with readers of BAHAMAS CHRONICLE.)
GUEST COMMENTARY: BY DR. HARRIS EVANS
NASSAU, Bahamas –Remember When….Just a few days ago, my good cousin, Lionel “Snake ” Evans, tabulated a rather extensive list of his close friends who are no longer with us. It seems like every few months, one of his buddies go on to their eternal destinations. Lionel is now over 70 and with the natural attrition, those close to him are likely to pass away. Any more lifetime after 70 is a blessing from God.
I read the post by cousin “Snake” and it posed a sober reminder of how important time is to all of us. Each human has a certain allotment of time and we are to use it wisely and give a good account of this life span.
There was a certain sadness in the post, as it looked back on their younger days when they shared so many activities together. Singer songwriter Alan Jackson’s biggest selling composition is a beautiful recording called: “Remember When” and Lionel’s piece certainly fit into that mold. Of course, it is rather sad when we look back at those times and so many who formed the memories with us are now dead and gone.
I vividly recall a conversation with my maternal grandfather, Caleb Scott, in 1988 as he sat on the porch of his modest home. He was very quiet for a long time before he began to speak; then he gave way to his dilemma.
He admitted to me that he was successively prone to bouts of sadness and depression when he would reflect on the fact that all of the friends that he knew have all passed beyond the veil. There is nobody left that shared his experiences as a young man. There was nobody who could now talk about things that they shared. He also admitted that it was like he was now in a world of strangers and he felt lost many times. Papa died the following year at age 96.
Looking back at my own life, I graduated grade school in 1971 and high school in 1975, and there are so many of my friends and classmates who are no longer with us. The most important thing about life is we must make positive contributions while we are here and when we are gone; those we leave will have pleasant memories. So every now and then, our loved ones can be look back and remember when.
(Dr. Harris Evans, 13/06/2022, Creative Writers Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
