What is the value of a good memory?

I have a really good memory.   It is nice to have.   However, it is also a liability.   I don't get to select what I want to remember from what I would not like to remember.   It can get a little depressing if I go back into some memories.

What use is a good memory?

I have found lately that I can recall some of the happiest times in my life with great detail.   The people, the situations, the smells, the colors, the location, the physical sensations at the time.   Wonderful and vivid memories. 

In fact, the more I concentrate on the good memories, the less temptation is there to revisit the not-so-good memories.   The more times I choose to recall good, the less I recall of the bad.

For example, I can remember some times when growing up that I got so angry at my parents that I called them every name in the book.   Yet, when I was asked the other day about what I remembered from growing up with them, I remembered the great things.  The model rocketry, the airplane flights, the dolphin rides in the pool, changing the oil in the truck together, playing in the snow, arts and crafts, play dough, Christmas.   They all came with a swiftness and clarity that I found that I could not remember any negative thoughts at all.

I am not saying I had any traumatic memories.   No.   I had a fairly great childhood.   I am saying that now that my mind is used to recalling good memories, it recalls them first and formost in any trip down memory lane.

"The only use of memory is to remember the times that you loved and were loved."
- A Course in Miracles