Wednesday, February 28, 2007

What is Remembered

If you type Rev. Ricky into Google (I don't know why you would but I do all the time) the first thing that comes up that actually refers to me is not this website or my sermons or blog or the church I serve in Los Angeles. The top entry about me is a reference to the episode of Jeopardy I was on in 2002. I came in second. The previous game's champion, David Bitkower, and I lost to a woman who came from behind on the final Jeopardy question that asked us to identify the fictional subject of a statue on a street corner in Minneapolis. David and I both guessed Paul Bunyon - WRONG! Correct answer below.

I'd like to think when I'm dead I'm remembered at least a little while, and for a little more than being the runner up on Jeopardy episode 4136. But who knows. As carefully as we guard our reputations who remembers us, if anyone, and what they remember, is really beyond our control. I do several Memorial services every year and I always include a time for people to share their memories of the deceased. It's always very healing but the ghost hovering above might very well be annoyed, or maybe chuckling, "I didn't know they remembered that!" Or, "I wish they hadn't remembered that!" Or "Why didn't anybody talk about the time I...?"

Be proud of yourself. Enjoy your accomplishments, now. The only person and time you can really control is yourself, this second. What anyone else remembers is up to them.

Even if I had remembered Mary Tyler Moore throwing her hat up in the air I would have got the question wrong. The correct answer is Mary Richards, the name of her fictional character.

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