Oh, oh, here they come. First they arrive one by one, then by the dozens, and finally hordes begin descending. Yes, fall leaves will soon be piling up, and they can leave homeowners quite disgruntled.

But if I close my eyes, the aromas of the season and the crunching sounds of the leaves send me back to childhood. I remember the colors of autumn in upstate New York and hear the laughter as we piled those leaves into heaps, got a running start and dove deep into fall. Even the dusty plume enveloping us from crushing them was a sweet sensation. Isn’t it astonishing that memories are still so fresh even after such a long time?

We are not created as programmable computers with bit and bytes storing vital information that at any given moment can be repeated.

But memories are indelibly etched in our minds and are recreated through all of the senses. If I hear a particular song it can take me back to high school days. Smelling peanut butter cookies or hot oatmeal on a cold winter morning, and I instantly visualize the kitchen where I grew up, see the steam rise and frost the windows.

What we see, or hear, touch, taste, or smell can recreate a memory. However, unlike the programmable computer our memories cannot be erased.

The bad comes with the good, and sights and sounds that frightened us as children can continue to create fear in us as adults.

We are told to think on; “…whatever is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, of good repute, things of excellence and worthy of praise…” Not because God wants to keep something from us but because He wants to protect us. He knows how deeply etched those scars can become. With His command comes His promise; “What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, do; and the God of peace will be with you.”

“Loving Your Military Man,” is a ten-week bible study based on these verses and was intended to help wives understand the man and his uniform-clad career. But the study can also be used within any relationship—at work, home and with friends.

Why not memorize these verses as an individual or family this month? Let it become a vital part of your life so that years from now when you hear these words, they will come pouring back as a sweet reminder of days gone by.