Try to Remember<\\/h2>\\n \ Try it. Take a moment to reflect upon a cherished moment with a loved one\\u2014maybe a grandparent who served in the military or another special person in your life. In doing so, you just boosted your own mental health and well-being. That\\u2019s right, research shows that when we recall positive memories, we re-experience the positive mood from the memory (Bower, 1981). The part of the brain involved in reward processing\\u2014called the striatum\\u2014is also recruited when we recall positive memories (Speer et al., 2014). What\\u2019s more\\u2014recalling positive memories can even protect us from stress by inhibiting the release of the stress hormone\\u2014cortisol (Speer, 2017). So next time you foresee a whopping stressor ahead\\u2014start remembering!<\\/p>\\n

{"id":381,"date":"2024-05-21T11:10:20","date_gmt":"2024-05-21T15:10:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/searchencounterrejoice\/?p=381"},"modified":"2024-05-21T11:48:15","modified_gmt":"2024-05-21T15:48:15","slug":"memorial-day-why-and-how-should-we-remember","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/searchencounterrejoice\/2024\/05\/memorial-day-why-and-how-should-we-remember\/","title":{"rendered":"Memorial Day: Why and How Should We Remember?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

"happy

Remember cherished moments with loved ones. Image courtesy of Shutterstock: 1387236668, by Evgeny Atamanenko<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

This Memorial Day<\/a>, we remember all those who\u2019ve given their lives for the sake of our country. In doing so, we also celebrate with an extended weekend just when we need it most: As the busy month of May winds down and we gear up for summer sun.<\/p>\n

While we honor all those who\u2019ve served in the military this Memorial Day, we might also take time to remember other people and experiences over the holiday weekend.<\/p>\n

Try to Remember<\/h2>\n \ Try it. Take a moment to reflect upon a cherished moment with a loved one\u2014maybe a grandparent who served in the military or another special person in your life. In doing so, you just boosted your own mental health and well-being. That\u2019s right, research shows that when we recall positive memories, we re-experience the positive mood from the memory (Bower, 1981). The part of the brain involved in reward processing\u2014called the striatum\u2014is also recruited when we recall positive memories (Speer et al., 2014). What\u2019s more\u2014recalling positive memories can even protect us from stress by inhibiting the release of the stress hormone\u2014cortisol (Speer, 2017). So next time you foresee a whopping stressor ahead\u2014start remembering!<\/p>\n

Catholic Views on Remembering<\/h2>\n Now let\u2019s consider the Catholic faith. In the book of Psalms, we are invited to \u201cRecall the wondrous deeds he has done, his wonders and words of judgment\u201d (Psalm 105:5<\/a>). We see this call to remember in the New Testament, too. In fact, during the Last Supper, Jesus invited His disciples to eat His Body\u2014consecrated bread\u2014in memory of Him (Luke 22:19<\/a>). When we receive the Eucharist in Holy Mass, we remember Jesus Christ\u2014total self-gift.<\/p>\n

Remember, Celebrate, Beleive<\/h2>\n As a child, I recall going up to receive Communion during Mass, while singing Marty Hauga\u2019s song, \u201cWe remember.\u201d<\/a> The words are beautiful and may be relevant this Memorial Day weekend: \u201cWe remember, we celebrate, we believe.\u201d<\/p>\n It can be quite difficult to take time to pause and recall positive memories amidst our busy lives and endless to-do\u2019s. In fact, the first step to remembering might be to simply pause throughout days. We might first engage in meditation or savor precious moments, as described in Tricia Gates Brown\u2019s Patheos post, \u201cHappiness is Bite-Sized: Finding Joy in Simple Moments<\/a>.\u201d One we start finding joy in these moments, we can then start remembering and savoring the past, as well.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s Remember<\/h2>\n \ When we do so, let\u2019s remember all those who gave their lives for the sake of our country. Let\u2019s remember Jesus Christ who gave His life for the sake of humankind. And let\u2019s remember and cherish joyful moments. In doing so, we reap the rewards of recall and protect ourselves against stress. But most importantly, we draw closer to love\u2014to the love of Christ and to the love of all those who\u2019ve given their lives for the sake of others.<\/p>\n \ This Memorial Day, let\u2019s remember, let\u2019s celebrate the gifts we\u2019ve received, and let\u2019s believe\u2014in love.<\/p>\n \ References<\/h2>\n \ Bower, G. H. (1981). Mood and memory. American psychologist<\/em>, 36<\/em>(2), 129.<\/p>\n \ Speer, M. E., Bhanji, J. P., & Delgado, M. R. (2014). Savoring the past: positive memories evoke value representations in the striatum. Neuron<\/em>, 84<\/em>(4), 847-856.<\/p>\n \ Speer, M. E., & Delgado, M. R. (2017). Reminiscing about positive memories buffers acute stress responses. Nature human behaviour<\/em>, 1<\/em>(5), 0093.<\/p>\n \ \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \ This Memorial Day, we remember all those who\u2019ve given their lives for the sake of our country. In doing so, we also celebrate with an extended weekend just when we need it most: As the busy month of May winds down and we gear up for summer sun. While we honor all those who\u2019ve served […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5276,"featured_media":387,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[174],"tags":[186,177,183,180,161],"class_list":["post-381","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-love","tag-jesus-christ","tag-memorial-day","tag-recall","tag-remember","tag-well-being"],"yoast_head":"\nMemorial Day: Why and How Should We Remember?<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Try it. Take a moment to reflect upon a cherished moment with a loved one\u2014maybe a grandparent who served in the military or another special person in your life. 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