She waded out into the sea of old photographs spilled out in front her,
and was swept away on a gentle wave of warm nostalgia.

For a long while she enjoyed the ride until she found herself adrift
on the deep blue of memory.

She lay back and floated through time to past moments rarely revisited.
A familiar weight, heavy on her chest, gave her a sinking feeling
until she remembered it was moments such as these that had taught her
how to stay afloat in the most turbulent seas.

And as she relaxed and surrendered, pearls of great wisdom,
previously garnered in such waters, Surfaced and formed a sacred circle
of protection around her. She knew it was safe to dive in.

Deeper and deeper she plunged. Dark memories, long ago pushed far
beneath the surface, began spinning and weaving a downward spiral
which pulled her further under.

She did not resist, Instead she allowed herself to remember…to witness…to feel...
to remember…to witness…to feel…to remember…to witness…to feel.
Although not as many as she would have liked, some of the painful memories
were released. The spiral lost its grip, and she gently resurfaced.

Wiping away tears, her eyes were drawn to a photo taken of her when she was
just a child. She picked it up and realized it had been such a long time since
She recognized the carefree, happy child in the photo.
“How could I have forgotten you?” She murmured.

There was deeper diving left to do, but she was confident now in her ability and
courage to plunge even deeper into the deepest blue of memory.