The Passing of the Family History & Memories Torch

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Major life changes have transpired since my last post. My MIL passed away last Wednesday. She was a lady to whom I owe great gratitude for the influence she had on DH. She raised a caring, compassionate, loving and respectable man, and I’m blessed to be able to share my life with him.

Many cherished memories of family times were shared in this last week between DH and his four siblings. It was a sad time, of course, but reminiscing about their shared childhood eased the pain of the loss of their Mother. There were the memories of vacations where they traveled across the country from their home in the midwest to see the west. Camping trips along the way as they anticipated their arrival at Disneyland in California.

The photo albums were brought out and pictures brought back more memories. Memories of the times the two younger boys busted the glass out of windows as they ran through the house chasing each other, and as they knocked golf balls around with the golf clubs they found in the house they had just moved into. There were the guessing games of who each baby was in the baby pictures. They were finally able to put faces to the names they had heard over the years of some relatives they never had the opportunity to know. There were Aunts and Uncles present that were able to identify the people in some of the old photographs.

There was discussion of future family reunions. Families are so scattered these days. With the mobility modern transportation has provided our generation and our children’s generations, the days of visiting immediate and extended family on Sundays seem to be another one of those things of the past now. There was sorrow that the only time people see each other is under dire circumstances involving another family member. Tentative plans were discussed to avoid gathering only at such times. These discussions were a reminder of another torch being passed on to our generation.

It’s our turn to make sure our children, their children, and their children’s children know the family history and its legacy. How do we do that without the frequency of family gatherings like those in our childhood? In my case, it’s done when the grandchildren spend a couple of weeks during summer vacation with Mamaw and Papaw as three of mine are doing now. We talk about when their parents were growing up as well as the way things were when we were growing up. Occasionally they show an interest in the family photo albums and quiz us about the people, the settings, and the backdrops of the photos.

With a smile on my face I must tell you it’s difficult to write this because my 15 month old granddaughter is creating memories for us both as she continuously kicks my keyboard while I try to type with her in my lap. We’re off to make more memories to share with her children and grandchildren…

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