Do you ever feel the obligation to remember?

Asked by fluthernutter (6328) November 9th, 2013 from iPhone

I’m sure this question could be interpreted several ways. (All of which I’d probably be interested to hear.)

But what I’m wondering about in particular is that pressure to remember. Because if you don’t, it just all dissipates into the ether?

My older brother passed away this past May. It’s weird. I’m still mourning his loss. But at times I find myself also mourning parts of my childhood. He was eight years older than me and no doubt remembered things that I could not.

My other two siblings are also older than me. But one is mentally not-well and the other has an inexplicable tendency to rewrite things. I don’t think she does it knowingly or on purpose. Just the way she’s wired, I guess.

Before my brother passed away, I would just be amused by my sister’s bizarre tendency to rewrite things. We would all laugh at her about it. Now, it makes me feel panicked when I realize she’s not going to be much help. And that the job of Collective Childhood Historian falls mostly on my shoulders—and that I’m grossly under-qualified for the job.