Profound Memories and their Stories Part 1
July 20, 2025
Profound Memories and their Stories Part 1
Welcome to this week’s Daily Reflections on “Profound Memories and their Stories.”
Memories can tell many unforgettable stories. Maybe they were AH Ha’s, or maybe they brought us into a new era of self-awareness. Perhaps the memory has grown in significance as life progressed, and it still teaches us. In any case, the event has remained with us for a reason. It is one of the profound stories of our lives.
One of my first memories is an event when I was three or four. My father was working on the living room floor, on a project of some sort. His toolbox was open, and he was laboring over the task at hand. I distinctly remember the beads of perspiration on his receding hairline’s forehead. Each plump and shiny bead was just asking me to pop it. In my dad’s toolbox was a wooden mallet and I picked it up. You have already connected the dots.
In one blow, I smashed several beads of sweat on my father’s forehead. I am sure I would like to have popped even more, but my father quickly rose up and while furiously rubbing his head, screamed at me about the bad thing I had done. His anger awakened me to what I had done. It must have been a painful blow for him, yet I did not receive a spanking for it. Why? Because as the story goes, Daddy’s reaction shocked me into realizing what I had done. As a result, I hid in shame. I was terribly sorry about hurting my daddy and felt some of my first pangs of remorse in life. They were almost unbearable.
This was a family story, but it was also an indelible memory of my own. It was one of the many necessary woundings we all accumulate before the soul child goes under a crust and is covered by the ego. It also helps me understand that the soul child is not a saint but can act from primitive impulses which are not “thoughtful.” The soul child is our essence and carries all the pure expressions of our soul. Yet it is human, and as such, honestly expresses its instinctual drives. Shame and guilt usually follow. This is one of the many reasons how and why we disconnect from the soul child.
Spiritual practice: Review some of the “necessary woundings” from your childhood. If you carry any shame, forgive it as a necessary part of your growth. You can do this in a prayer, or you can look at a picture of your soul child and actually forgive them face to face. This act of forgiveness can be a template for forgiving ourselves in adulthood as well.
Self-inquiry: What are some reasons why you would not review instances of early childhood shame?
Dear God,
For this memory, for this story, I give you thanks. It gives me another way to understand my circumstances and come to accept myself. Amen
