Friday, June 10, 2005
Boxes of History
I've been going through the many boxes I have recently taken out of storage, and I have alot of crap! There is so much stuff that it's hard for me to determine what goes and what stays. I'm one of those people who save newspaper clippings. I save whole newspapers if the story is relevant to US history. I have every clipping that shows one of my kids or their friends, or teachers, etc....I also have a few boxes of family history in letters. Now mind you my kids aren't interested it this right now, but I really think they will want to know some family history as they start having children of their own. We, meaning citizens as a whole, have been fortunate that the pioneers wrote letters and kept journals. They are a gift and a link to our past. Reading up on the past and the struggles the pioneers endured has always encouraged me and given me hope.
I have letters that my grandmother wrote to my mom, aunts, uncles. I have photo graphs that my grandfather on my dads side took while he was in WWI. Pictures he took all over Europe. I have been the keeper of the history for my family. For some reason I was entrusted at a young age with valuable family pictures, books, newspaper articles, even columns from Dear Abbey for God's sake. I think when the time comes, many, many years from now*, I will pass this all on to Jessie as she is the one who screams the loudest when I swear I'm getting rid of everything. Again I swear that if you could see the stuff you'd be swearing too. Thankfully I have trunks that neatly hide this stuff away. Maya Angelou said: "....No man can know where he is going unless he knows exactly where he has been and exactly how he arrived at his present place". She was referring to Africa here, but I think it pertains to everyone's heritage.
*Little footnote here, I did one of those many cute little tests they have online, you know, "what kind of dog are you? What's your IQ", that sort of thing, and well I'm going to live to be at least 83!
¶ 6/10/2005 05:39:00 PM
I have letters that my grandmother wrote to my mom, aunts, uncles. I have photo graphs that my grandfather on my dads side took while he was in WWI. Pictures he took all over Europe. I have been the keeper of the history for my family. For some reason I was entrusted at a young age with valuable family pictures, books, newspaper articles, even columns from Dear Abbey for God's sake. I think when the time comes, many, many years from now*, I will pass this all on to Jessie as she is the one who screams the loudest when I swear I'm getting rid of everything. Again I swear that if you could see the stuff you'd be swearing too. Thankfully I have trunks that neatly hide this stuff away. Maya Angelou said: "....No man can know where he is going unless he knows exactly where he has been and exactly how he arrived at his present place". She was referring to Africa here, but I think it pertains to everyone's heritage.
*Little footnote here, I did one of those many cute little tests they have online, you know, "what kind of dog are you? What's your IQ", that sort of thing, and well I'm going to live to be at least 83!
¶ 6/10/2005 05:39:00 PM
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I have a tendency to save everything too, though I am getting better at sorting the things I want from the things I can toss. But family history is important, and I'm glad you're saving it for your girls. :0)
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