Frank J. Buchman

Cowboy • Horseman • Writer

Poor Memory May Be Sign Of Worse Days To Come

We’d forget our nose if it wasn’t attached to our face.

That may not be an old wives’ saying, but it certainly seems to fit us quite well these days. There was a time when we’d use the excuse “too much on our mind.” That’s not a justified reason for things we’ve forgotten to do in recent times.


Certain scheduled events we were made aware of, and they have just completely slipped our mind. Even routine schedules that we’ve done for weeks have been missed without a clue to our brain, until hours too late.

Never have we been good about remembering things such as birthdays, anniversaries, some traditional gatherings and the like. Likewise, we always had poor memory where we put our glasses, the hammer we had a few minutes ago, our gloves or bridle just used on the last horse we rode.

However, certain activities of our youth, special happenings during our teenage and college days and throughout life, as well as specific horse shows, certain horses we’ve  judged and ridden and pedigrees of  horses we’ve produced or had can readily be recited.

Specific people have always been quickly identified, while others we never seem to recall, sometimes not even knowing that we’ve ever been introduced or had a passing acquaintance. Interestingly, names, and other specific things which slip us at the moment, will frequently come back to us hours later, sometimes even many days after.

Now, we’re not remembering the obvious things, and our forgetfulness has us a bit worried. Is it old age? That’s the easy excuse. But, most people much more mature than we are have memories which seem almost perfect. They can recite things from their childhood, their life’s many activities and never miss a scheduled commitment.

Our lack of memory may be the predecessor to dementia, according to a study of such troubles, though we certainly pray that not to be the case. Medical books indicate that memory loss is a common symptom of dementia.

Also, those diagnosed with that malady have problems with brain functions in their   language. Obviously, often we can’t think of the word we want to say or write,  and the dictionary doesn’t help if we don’t know the word in the first place.

Of even more concern is that dementia has often been closely related to Alzheimer’s disease and stroke. We’ve had several close friends stricken by both of those ailments, and they’re not to be taken lightly. Until things get worse, and we forget to put our jeans on in the morning, we’re going to blame our irritating predicament on absentmindedness.

However, it reminds us of Psalm 88:12: “Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? Can anyone in the land of forgetfulnesstalk about your righteousness?” Yet, we’re thankful for Proverbs 10:7: “The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot.” Likewise, we must never forget Second Peter 3:1: “The day of the Lord is coming. I have tried to stimulate your wholesome thinking and refresh your memory.”

+++ALLELUIA+++

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