Memory is a weird thing. I have a great memory about certain things, like totally arcane information that I’ve committed to memory. Like the fact that Wally Joyner hit 34 home runs in 1987 for the California Angels. Pretty worthless, but it’s there on the hard drive.

Other things, really important things, I tend to forget. Just ask Sunny. This happens all the time — she’ll ask me to do something and while I’m on my way to do it, I’ll forget what it is I’m supposed to do. Yesterday Sunny was reminding me about a funny story about Joshua at the dentist’s office from a couple of years ago. He was sitting in the chair while the lady was cleaning his teeth and out of the blue he goes, “Miss Scarlett, guess what? I have a train in my mouth.” She said, “OK, that’s great Joshua.” Joshua then goes, “And you know what the train says?” Before she could answer, Joshua belts it out at the top of his lungs: “CHOO CHOO!!!!” Then he just turned to her and grinned from ear to ear. Sunny told me this story and I had absolutely no recollection of it. I’m sure I heard all about this when it happened, but it was like I’d never heard it before when she told me. And that made me sad, because I thought, “What other things am I forgetting about?” It made me want to just store up as many of these memories as possible so I can never forget them.

So I decided to start a list. “Things I Want To Remember”. I’m sure I’ll be adding to this list a lot in the coming years. Hopefully, when I’m old and gray, I’ll be able to look back at this list and remember some of these snapshots from my life.

Things I Want to Remember

• The way Sunny looked on our wedding day. She was simply radiant and I remember feeling so blessed to be marrying her.
• For a brief time in my life (age 20), I could dunk a basketball.
• The way Abby Kate labors over her arts and crafts projects she makes for me. She wants me to take each one of them and hang them in my office. And I do.
• The way I felt about my boys after reading “The Road” for the first time.
• My mother’s warmth and compassion. She’s the reason I’m in ministry.
• My father’s presence. Nobody ever filled a room like Al Bybee.
• The ministering influence of my mentors like Johnny Markham, Gary Bradley, Lee Milam, and Calvin Crim. I stand on the shoulders of giants.
• The pride I felt when I had the chance to preach my grandfather’s funeral.
• Seeing my kids for the first time.
• The Cardinals improbable World Series run in 2006.
• I hope I remember the greatness of Albert Pujols. I’ll be able to tell my grandkids about seeing one of baseball’s all-time greats play at the height of his career.
• How scared we were during our pregnancy with Jackson. We were really worried about him 2 or 3 different times, but those uncertainties brought us closer together and closer to God.
• The way my imagination fires during the 60 seconds of hoedown-bliss at the end of “Laundry Room” by the Avetts.
• The way Joshua looks at me that lets me know I’m his hero.
• Jackson’s giggle.
• The FCS “Sixth Man”. Some of the best times of my life.
• The simultaneous mixture of fear and joy when the doctor told us we were having twins.
• The way my sister and brother-in-law took me in after the death of my mother.
• Watching LOST and theorizing about “what it all means”.

I’m sure I’ll have plenty more I’ll want to add throughout the years. But that’s a nice start.