Tonight, as I was putting Dakota to bed the discussion subject of choice was teeth.  He was lamenting that he had only lost a couple to this point and wondering if he would need braces once his teeth all came in.  When I shared some of my experience with braces with him, he asked me if had lost all of my teeth.  I hesitated for a moment.  Of course I had lost all of my teeth, but I did not remember losing most of them!  I have to imagine that losing teeth was as big of a deal for me as it is for Dakota and Addison – our Tooth Fairy is quite dedicated.  How could I forget my own visits from the Tooth Fairy?  How could I not remember such significant events in my life?

I became concerned as my train of thought continued to what other significant events and moments I  could not remember.  I was worried as I thought about the important things that someone must have said to me that I don’t even know were said because those things are either not in my head any more or just did not hang around as long as would have hoped.  I was embarrassed as I realized there are probably – no certainly – things that I have done to offend, upset or hurt people that I simply do not remember.  I also realized that, conversely, there are offenses, upsets and hurts done to me that I cannot recollect.

And, well … I have no meaty, pithy response to give this some perspective.  I do not have the Jewish story or take that may lend some background to this dilemma. I only have this momentary realization (one that I might forget) that humbles me.  I am humbled – not in the sense that I feel small or insignificant –  but that I grasp for a moment both my possibilities- to love, to create and to heal and my limits – in loving, in creating and in healing.  Grasping both are essential to me in remembering before whom I stand.