I have been attending a quilting retreat at the Linden Hills Mansion in Little Falls, MN. I should clarify now that I do not and will never quilt; however, since my niece and my sister host this retreat for their fellow quilters, I feel fortunate to be able to attend along with them and retreat in other ways - spending the morning photographing along the river, reading, napping, and of course, drinking wine. This mansion was built in the late 1800's as one of the family homes of a wealthy lumber family. For me, it is an opportunity to spend the weekend in a home that I would otherwise only be able to experience in books and movies - a true turn-of-the-century architectural masterpiece that speaks to a time of gentler and more refined living. One of the most interesting features of this home is that, although there remain some distant descendants of the original family, the estate itself now belongs to the city of Little Falls and is under the care of a dedicated team of volunteers who lovingly restore, caretake, and manage the home. It is left just as it was when the last family resident passed away - all the furniture remains, the dishes are in the pantry, baby dolls sit in doll buggies awaiting a the hands of a child who will play with them, and most importantly to me, all the family photos remain displayed throughout the home. Photos of the family's daughters as children being held on their mothers' lap, photos of them playing in the children's playroom, and photos of them as adults on their wedding days. These photos represent the most obscure as well as the most important moments of their lifetime. Andeven now, they remain standing on fireplace mantles, hanging on walls, and displayed on bureaus for others to glimpse a small moment of their lives.
I feel so fortunate to be able to view these special moments that may have taken place anywhere from fifty to one hundred years ago. However, in some ways, it also breaks my heart just a bit. I am fascinated that a family who was so obviously rich in material ways and likely with so many interesting stories to tell, had no one who wanted to cherish and treasure these special moments on their behalf. I feel this same way any time I visit an antique store and find an antique album filled with the ancient history of some family who let their memories go and let their family story go - for whatever reasons I cannot imagine.
Years ago, I became interested in my own family history and as some of my older relatives came to realize this, they shared with me such incredible memorabilia from our family history. I have family photos dating back a hundred years, as well as family bibles that were once treasured by Great-Great-Aunts, school report cards dating back to the early 1900's, certificates of military duty, postcards from my grandfather to his parents from even before he was married to my grandmother, valentines cards, and a host of other documents that had value to the person who originally held them - enough value that they lovingly boxed them in hopes that someone else would care about the story as well.
I consider myself to be somewhat of a documentarian of my own life through the multitude of photos that I capture. Although sometimes my schedule does not allow, the best day for me is one in which I can spend at least an hour with my camera documenting my family or the world around me in some way. I post these photos online for my family to share and while that seems to be the way of technology, I continue to print a selection of the best photos to place in albums. I would be embarrassed to tell you how many photo albums I have throughout my home (it runs a close tie to the number of purses that I collect!); however, there should be no shame in wanting to document these moments in my life. In fact, my only regret, is that in the busiest times of my life, I didn't document things enough. I let time get away from me and because of that, I have the memories of many first moments, many special moments, but those memories belong only to me -there is nothing to share with anyone who will follow me.
As I've been considering the value of the family treasures that I hold, I've realized that as the keeper of these memories, I have a responsibility to ensure their safety for future generations. I think I will begin this winter to photograph and document all the family history pieces that I've been honored to collect over the years. There is a very strong connection that happens when you physically hold a piece of paper that your grandparents or great-grandparents may have once held so I hope that my digital copies will never be the only thing remaining, but if that were the case, at least those moments would not be lost. I will rest easier knowing that I have done what I can and what I need to do to preserve and honor these special moments of my ancestors.
The moments of our lives, the small ones and the big ones, are what make them our lives. Moments deserve to be honored, respected, and preserved so that they may endure. I hope that someone in my family will do the same for me someday - they will take over the care of our family memories from generations past and pay honor to the moments that have created our today.
1 comment:
very interesting story theresa thanks for sharing it with us hope all is well till next time michael
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