What to remember during the silence

David Winter, on Thought for the Day last Saturday, talks of the challenge: 'I never know what to think about during these silences'. He says "it would be inappropriate to tell other people what to think about" but it is important to reflect on what we do think about during the annual collective silence.

He concludes: "To remember, and then forget what we have learnt, is an unforgivable waste of the God-given gift of memory. The Hebrew and Christian Scriptures constantly call on us to remember - events, outcomes, people, tragedies, blessings - but not just to remember. Genuine, profound remembrance brings the past into the present so that the present may be changed....... The precious gift of memory is a means, not an end in itself. We remember the past, but in order to transform and renew the present".