METAL  DETECTORS,  

MEMORY  DETECTORS   

We see them - during the summer - on
the beaches - in the parks - men - yes
it's almost always men - men who love
gadgets - men with metal detectors - 
men who love to fish - fishing - 
searching for metal.

We see them with head phones – waiting to hear the bing, bing, bing sound that there is metal below - ready to find rings and things – hoping to find coins and bracelets – hiding in the sand – lost in the grass – in and under the dirt…..

One hand holds the metal detector – the old hand holds a light rake or pick on a stick – to dig through the sand or the dirt – for where the metal signal is coming from.

Of course there are big machines and drills - and big metal detectors – with plows and shovels to dig away the ground – and find and dig up precious metals – that have never been discovered before. I’ll stop there with that one, because I know little about mining.

We’re all searchers – dreamers – wanting to find the precious beneath our feet.

We all have our collection of class rings, ear rings, wedding rings, pins and trophies - buried treasure from long ago….

Pause and think about your collection.

Bing, bing, bing, goes the metal detector.

We’ve all had the experience at airports  - going through those telephone booth type metal detectors. They go bing, bing, bing or buzz, buzz, buzz, when they tell us about our metal belt buckles… or what have you.

The title of this reflection is: “Metal Detectors, Memory Detectors.”

Will someone come up with a memory detector? All those rings – all those bracelets, - all those coins  - all those pins  tick off a metal detector. Well, what about the story behind the ring or the bracelet or the coin that are found in the sand at the beach or in the woods?

Who was the person who wore this class ring? What are the memories behind this ring – St. Mary’s High School – Dartmouth – Elon – Loyola? How many places did someone search before they gave up the search? Was there a romantic story in the story? A guy gave this ring to his gal – in 1954. Then the ring was lost. What happened to both of them?

The rings and things we still have – when noticed or discovered trigger stories … memories. They are reminders  - that ring in our memories all our lives – in all our loves…..

Stuff – the stuff of life – there is a lot of it – everywhere – buried in the earth – buried beneath our skull….

Stuff – some mementos – some  trinkets – in our top drawers, bottom draws, in boxes in our basements and our attics – are loaded with the past.

A memory detector?

Is there such a thing as a memory detector?

Yes.

It’s us.

Stop once and a while and look around.

Look around your rooms and your homes once and a while.

Talk to each other?  Mom – dad – did you have class rings way back when?

Do you still have them?  Can I see one? Tell me what thoughts and memories they trigger. What happened?

Memories: is there such a thing as a memory detector?

No.

Is that why Jesus said, the important thing is not the thing but the person behind the thing – the person wearing the ring.

Treasure the ring, treasure the treasure – but above all, treasure what we take beyond the beyond, eternal life.

[This was a short reflection for St. Mary’s High School Junior Ring Ceremony we had in St. Mary’s yesterday, January 30, 2015]