We are slipping into an age where the past is very much becoming the present. Everywhere we go we are presented with memories of times gone by, in the media, fashion, advertising and even day to day life is being influenced by the way our grandparents once lived.

A recent survey for the New York Times proved that the most successful businesses of the moment are those that promote environmental awareness and fair trade, and those that have a vintage or historical influence. So you see, re visiting the past is not always a bad thing.

At every turn we are presented with images of "keep calm and carry on", and "make do and mend".Never before have the book shops been so full of re-printed publications whose first outings to the bookshelves would have taken place 60,70 0r even 80+ years ago. People are scrambling to find the best vintage dresses, and from packaging, to architecture to hobbies, vintage influence is everywhere. So what is this fascination we have with the past? I think it's far more than just a mere passing trend, It runs much deeper than that.

Trends aside, we currently find ourselves in the middle of one of the worst recessions in decades. Millions of people are out of work, and even those with steady income are finding it tough to make ends meet. In my life time, I have never known or witnessed such atrocities in the world as there are happening now, but then I wasn't around to witness the holocaust... Looking back, from stories my grandparents told me, and what I have learned from reading books and watching films, it was during times of such great hardship people found their greatest strengths. During WW2, with so little at their disposal, people were forced to improvise, and to develop and master skills that handed them a life line to get through day to day life. Even tasks such as knitting, sewing, cooking and DIY became a necessary daily occurrence in order to survive.

Despite the hardship and utter devastation that resonated daily around life during these times, there was always a sense of community and togetherness that we seem to be now retrieving from the attics of the past. It's a slow process but as I look around I can see great fountains of creativity rising from the dust of our own personal hardships. I have friends who have felt like their worlds have fallen apart when they have lost their jobs, and after healing the wounds, I see them coming together, following dreams they buried long ago and finding success from the gifts that were always there, just waiting for the opportunity to be nurtured and grown. Every cloud has a silver lining. We just have to look for it.

So, we weren't there, and the reality is that most survivors of WW2 still alive today, especially those who served our countries in the forces, would rather forget, keeping the horrors they witnessed tucked safely away in places long forgotten. It must be hard seeing all these memories come flooding back but at the same time, mean so much to them to know that their sacrifice is appreciated and that we have not forgotten their great effort.

So now we are re-living the romantic memories of a time when we were all united by a common goal. A goal of survival, and of finding happiness and joy in the simplest things no matter what our situations. So let us not just ride this wave of remembrance as merely a fashion statement, but as a memorial, that we may never forget the sacrifice made by those before us and that to them, we owe our freedom and our lives. The very fabric of their endurance is woven into our DNA, so let us all be thankful and find the strength, that gift that they have given us, to hold our heads high and know that we can find our way through the storm.

So when you pass on a vintage dress to your daughters, pass the memories on with it.

And remember... When God hands you lemons; make lemonade.