Once I was tasked with collecting old photographs for a grieving family.
The photos belonged to an older gentleman, someone of note within the community.
He climbed up the ranks of his occupation, achieving a modicum of fortune and fame before his final days.
As a matter of fact, he piled up some nice treasures for himself over the years.
Credits, trinkets, collectibles, all documented within the pile of prints I had in my possession.
But, as his family would find out in the end, he threw it all away.
Every trinket and collectible was sold off for a sudden influx of credits…and every credit was spent chasing his vices.
Leaving him with only the memories of his transgressions…and the photographs showing them..
The deeper into the pile I went, the more I found the tone of them changing.
Happy memories of home and family gave way to the bitter taste of being at one’s lowest point.
Gone were images of holding his firstborn child in his arms…replaced by drunkenness and debauchery.
It was unsettling, but I knew my role in that moment.
My job was not to judge the man for what he did, but simply to present these photos to the family.
A courier of mixed emotions, delivering hope and heartache in one large envelope.
Needless to say, the family didn’t take the news well.
His ex-wife had seen enough of the man’s illicit affairs put on display, and grabbed the pile of photos.
She threw them into the fireplace, watching the prints…and the memories…get consumed by the flames.
It caught me off guard, but I knew I couldn’t stick around to face the wrath of a broken family.
I did my job, and took my leave…but I never forgot that incident.
Not every memory is worth keeping.
What do you do with those memories, Tombstone?
When you meet the departed on route to their final destination, what happens to the images of everything they left behind?
As their courier, you no doubt find yourself tasked with collecting such things.
But where do they go?
I suspect you hold a firm grip on their legacy, keeping the memories alive as long as possible after those who once possessed them move on.
But I would suggest that is not a wise move, Tombstone.
Not every memory is worth keeping.
Some are filled to the brim with heartbreak, with pain far greater than one can bear.
The only proper thing to do with those memories is to let them go.
To throw them into the fire, and watch them become ashes.
It’s a difficult decision to make, sure.
But if you can’t do it, who will?
Colt Ramsey, that’s who.
The memories of those who have left us, that which you hold onto so tightly…I will take them from you.
Every last image, every photograph you have piled up.
And I’ll throw them in the fire for ya.
Watch those memories fade for good…and then be on your merry way.