Coke and Cheese

Why is it that we can live through something beautiful and still struggle to remember it clearly?

A few years ago, my family went on an amazing cruise followed by a few days at a resort. It was one of those trips that felt incredibly full from beginning to end. And yet, when it was over and we began recounting it together, I was astonished by how much I could not remember. The week had already started to blur.

Do you ever feel that way about your own life?

Not just about vacations, but about whole seasons? You know they mattered. You know they changed you. But when you try to call them back, the details have already begun to slip away.

That evening, my daughter and I went out on the patio with a Coke and a grocery store cheese plate and decided to walk back through the trip day by day, moment by moment. As we did, the memories began to return to their proper shape. The small details. When did that happen? The funny moments, and crazy little surprises, all the things that were blurred together found their spot again. 

It felt like the trip was being given back to us.

That simple evening stayed with me, because it named something true: we experience so much, and yet so much is easily lost unless we stop to remember.

Life moves quickly. Days fill up. Milestones pass. Good things happen, hard things happen, meaningful things happen.  

It seems that the more rich and full the life, the thinner the remembrance of it. 

(except my amazing wife… she actually remembers every detail! LOL)

That is why commemoration matters.

To commemorate is simply to stop and remember on purpose. It is to gather up what mattered and give it the attention it deserves. It is in this way that gratitude becomes deeper, and changes us.

That is true in our personal lives, and it is true in the life of a community or company.

This year, our studio celebrates its 25th anniversary. 

That milestone means more than the passage of time. It holds years of work, risk, creativity, friendship, perseverance, and shared purpose. It holds countless moments, good and bad, that helped shape who we are. 

To commemorate those 25 years is to honor the transformation inside them.

So here is my encouragement to you: look for commemoration in your own life. 

Mark what matters. Revisit a season that shaped you. Tell an old story. Thank someone who walked with you on part of your journey. 

Create your own version of a “Coke and cheese night” and remember what you have been given.

And then, come celebrate with us.

On Apr. 24, 2026, we’ll gather to mark 25 years at the studio

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Would you come and help us to remember, to give thanks, and to celebrate all that has been built together. We would love for you to join us.

Life gives us much. But, it is in remembering that we begin to understand just how much it meant.