SAVING MEMORIES

WORD DANCE

the words dance from the ends of my fingers

quiet but for the scratching of  pen on paper

silent forever if spoken aloud too soon

stopped between brain and hand

by a barrier of noise so loud the heart can’t hear

for the heart is where the words begin their dance

~FK~

 

I have shoe boxes full of old photos and a computer full of newer ones that have been waiting to be organized for years.  I also have bits and pieces of family stories in notebooks, on scraps of paper, and in my head. 

With mother's death, in December, it dawned on me that I am now the only one left that can identify most of the people in the photos or tell the old family stories.  It was finally the ...SOMEDAY...I was going to write it  all down for my children and grandchildren. 

I had already decided to take a year off from making and selling art because of a series of family events in 2012...a new baby, a retirement, two graduations and a wedding.  Getting family albums made and stories written seemed like a good way to keep my creative mind active while I took that break. However, I underestimated how much work it would be.  The year is already half over and I still have a long way to go.  

I know keeping photos on the computer or online is easier and less time consuming but to me there is something about holding a book in my hands that is so much more satisfying even though I understand, now, it will take more than a year to get them all finished.  And going through the pictures and writing down the stories is not only fun it has sparked many new ideas for art projects. 

AT THE END OF THE DAY... I know spending too much time being nostalgic is one sign of growing old...but I like having the memories someplace besides in my head where I can leaf through them once in a while...and when I'm gone so can my family.