Have you ever had the experience of walking into a room to get something and then forgetting what you wanted to get? Oh man! It kills me when that happens!

I’ll be racking my brain for a long time trying to figure it out, and when I finally give up…
I remember.

Pretty soon the world will be in holiday swing (well, the merchants are ALREADY in holiday swing) and many of the old movie classics will be aired over and over until December 25, including “A Christmas Carol.”

Scrooge blocked out and forgot a lot of things in his life. Good things. Things that made him a great, endearing, wonderful guy. The Spirit of Christmas Past helped him to see and remember those memories.

In this day and age, it is sooooo easy to forget things like that. The pace of life moves quickly and it shows no signs of slowing down either.

Many years ago I had the privilege of helping ten young men from Sudan get acclimated into American culture. They were called “The Lost Boys.”

I did my homework on African culture and learned that relationships were extremely important. Time spent together was highly valued.

So that’s what I did. I spent lots and lots of time with my new friends, teaching them how to shop, cook…and put the orange juice in the refrigerator instead of the cupboard.

What developed were some truly rich relationships.

And then I got busy…

And then I forgot…

I forgot a simple, profound truth of human relating:

Take an interest in others and invite them into the conversation of your life.

Lately I’ve been having some fun on Facebook. I’ve been doing my own tour down memory lane, posting one or two pics a day, taking anyone who cares to watch through a timeline of my life in pictures.

It’s been fun to see what people comment on and the online conversations that emerge.

Somewhere along the line I had an a-ha moment. It didn’t become clear until last night when a friend was remarking about how silly it was that people would send things like plants and drinks (Facebook applications) to each other. I admit that for a long time I found it annoying myself.

But I’m starting to wonder if these are really only attempts to remember something that was forgotten: How to connect and relate with one another.

I think it’s a good thing.