But your nieces and nephews could value hearing all of the stories, looking through the photos, etc. But prepare yourself--a lot of the current younger ones have little interest in their own photos, baby book, saved artwork and schoolwork, etc. The number of beautiful antique furniture pieces being sold cheap or given away breaks my heart but it's part of modern culture that doesn't treasure anything older than five minutes.
It's depressing to look at all the stuff, sort out the valuables from the trinkets you don't want to keep, and know there's no one to give it to anyway. A point in time for reckoning. And know that you are the only one with the power to decide. It makes writing necessary.
Good point. Writing for me is the only thing that feel eternal. And the things I hold on to, the things that have the most meaning, are those trinkets, of value to no one but me. I guess I'll let someone else decide after I'm gone.
Here's a thought. Make a time capsule. Put some of those items in it along with a story that does justice to their memory. Someone will find it one day and unknowingly will share the story you fear will go untold. That shoe shine box sounds like it would be great front and center on the cover of a book. Your stories are always so touching.
Thank's Joan. I made a capsule when I was 14. I buried a coffe can full of little trinkets I loved, with a note. We were moving out of a horrid little town and I wanted to put the painful past behind me, to be recovered when I was grown and capable of rescuring myself. I still have the map!
If I’ve learned anything about trauma it’s that it doesn’t just go away. It’s passed on down the line, in its own time, whether it’s acknowledged or not. The memoir you write today may very well assist in someone else’s healing.
In the last 8 years I learned the secrets of my mother’s parentage and how it came to be and it’s a story that shocked us all, while answering so many questions and shone the light of abandonment issues we didn’t know we carried.
But your nieces and nephews could value hearing all of the stories, looking through the photos, etc. But prepare yourself--a lot of the current younger ones have little interest in their own photos, baby book, saved artwork and schoolwork, etc. The number of beautiful antique furniture pieces being sold cheap or given away breaks my heart but it's part of modern culture that doesn't treasure anything older than five minutes.
It's depressing to look at all the stuff, sort out the valuables from the trinkets you don't want to keep, and know there's no one to give it to anyway. A point in time for reckoning. And know that you are the only one with the power to decide. It makes writing necessary.
Good point. Writing for me is the only thing that feel eternal. And the things I hold on to, the things that have the most meaning, are those trinkets, of value to no one but me. I guess I'll let someone else decide after I'm gone.
Here's a thought. Make a time capsule. Put some of those items in it along with a story that does justice to their memory. Someone will find it one day and unknowingly will share the story you fear will go untold. That shoe shine box sounds like it would be great front and center on the cover of a book. Your stories are always so touching.
Thank's Joan. I made a capsule when I was 14. I buried a coffe can full of little trinkets I loved, with a note. We were moving out of a horrid little town and I wanted to put the painful past behind me, to be recovered when I was grown and capable of rescuring myself. I still have the map!
If I’ve learned anything about trauma it’s that it doesn’t just go away. It’s passed on down the line, in its own time, whether it’s acknowledged or not. The memoir you write today may very well assist in someone else’s healing.
In the last 8 years I learned the secrets of my mother’s parentage and how it came to be and it’s a story that shocked us all, while answering so many questions and shone the light of abandonment issues we didn’t know we carried.
Trust me, someone wants to know.
Lori, you have really piqued my curiosity. We are going to have to have coffee! You have so much to share.
I sure can relate about having imperfect parents but coming to love them all the more.
It's one of the things I'm proudest of Julie. Actually loving them at the end of their lives.