The Hourglass of Memories

Watching sand fall from the top of the hourglass to the bottom has always fascinated me. As the hourglass is first turned so that the sand begins to fall to the bottom it is hardly even visible. There is no sand in the bottom of the glass and for a few seconds it seems as if nothing is happening. Then a few grains of sand begin to form a layer on the bottom of the glass. It is still hard to see the grains of sand as they pass from the top glass section to the bottom but you can see the sand as it falls onto the sand already on the bottom of the glass. Soon a small pile of sand appears. Now it is easy to see the sand as it accumulates. As the sand continues to pass from the top chamber to the bottom chamber the sand forms a layer which covers the bottom of the glass. Depending on the size of the hourglass the whole process may take a few minutes or an hour or even several hours. Watching the complete process is fulfilling and satisfying. When the top chamber is almost empty and the last grains of sand fall to the bottom chamber it seems as if a silence has fallen also. Even though the hourglass makes no sound the activity of the sand falling seems to invoke a sort of sound of some sort. The sudden stillness causes me to attach a silence to the process.

Memories have entered my life much like the sand falling in an hourglass. At first I had no memories. Slowly they began to enter my life and form a sort of thin layer that served me well. As the years passed I could begin to feel memories forming a pile on the layer which represented family, friends, experiences, senses, learning and various piles of memories that formed a thicker layer of life experience. Soon the piles of memories blended to form a very thick layer of experience and feelings. At times I think the memories blend for a reason. Some of the memories enrich new experiences and even cause older memories to become richer.

Our hourglass is limitless. The life we live passes much like the grains of sand. Even when we aren't watching the hourglass is still working. It is silent. At times we can look back, or an event causes us to recall a memory, and we sense the rich layer of memories that has formed. What an amazing process. I am fascinated.