Back Home . . .

It took us about two weeks to get back to normal, unpacking suitcases, laundry, grocery shopping, and catching up on life’s every day functions. And as we did, we recalled what a great time we had on our trip to Germany.

After meeting with family for a grand celebration, the four of us traveled Germany’s Romantic Road, taking in medieval towns, ancient castles and sumptuous palaces. I did not think about work, however, now that I am sitting back at my computer and reviewing where I left off on my blog, the one thing that pops into my head is exactly what I was promoting in my last blogpost . . . educating the young on the principle of value. And that value is part and partial to preserving the past, being medieval, ancient, and generational history, everything that happened then is what made and gave shape to who we are today. And if those histories were not saved and taught to everyone who visits, especially younger folks who may not value history as much as others, where would we be today?  What stories could one age group hand down to the next one if the next generation doesn’t care, of which I fear may be today’s millenniums. What history of people, places and things would we have and improve upon to make our lives better today if we did not know about all the ways and means of the past?

 

For instance, hearing about all the gory ways of punishment inflicted upon those who may or may not have deserved such wretched forms of chastisement such as at Harburg Castle in Bavaria. Not terribly fainthearted, but enough to make me not want to recall those ghastly methods, yet from that history came less merciless techniques used today.

Castle walls surrounded and protected many medieval villages and as we walked along the one in Rothenberg ob der Tauber, we were pleased to see embedded into the walls plaques from contributor’s who donated money to the preservation of the castle walls. And using our imaginations, we could picture a sumptuous dinner served on gold-plated china in the palatial banqueting hall in this Renaissance palace in

Weikersheim, Count Wolfgang II at the head of the table. If none of this history, if none of these antiquities have not been saved, I ask you again . . . what would our lives be like today?

"It has been said that at its best, preservation engages the past in a conversation with the present over a mutual concern for the future."

William Murtagh, National Register of Historic Places     

 

 

Keeping Parents’ Treasures

As you spring clean, be thoughtful of your family history, particularly when you clean out. I have been reading too often how the baby boomer generation is discovering that many of their worldly possession, the ones they painstakingly saved and preserved to be passed down, are being disposed of by no other than their own children they wanted to pass it onto. How sad is that!

This seismic shift of stuff is underway in homes all over America and I am sure elsewhere in the world. Yes, it is true many of the BB generation need and want to downsize their living space and give their things away. Unfortunately, many of the next generation; Millennials to be specific, don’t want the large dining or master bedroom suite. It just doesn’t fit into their transient life styles, small apartments or first homes.

Another aspect that is rather disturbing is how these young adults don’t seem to want their own possessions either. School yearbooks, trophies, T-shirt collections, toys, and all those adorable baby clothes the parents hoped their child would dress their baby in. But why, I ask? What’s wrong with revisiting those yearbooks? Why not save a few of those trophies they worked hard to get? Why not take all those quirky T-Shirts and fashion it into a useable item. And what about those baby clothes? Using them again saves money.

I recently read an article that said 20 & 30 year olds don’t appear to be defined by their possessions, other than their latest-generation cellphones. That they live their lives digitally through Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, and that’s how they capture their moments. That their whole life is on a computer. And how they don’t need a shoe box full of greeting cards.

Even more distressing is how a 29-year-old estate marketer (I assume sells homes that will eventually be filled up with the very stuff she wants to get rid of, like old photos, bowls and cocktail glasses) would rather spend money on experiences. Just what does she think will help her remember these experiences if it isn’t stuff . . . souvenirs from a distant land she visited, photos of loved ones and friends that passed on, precious things her family cherished over the generations. And if this isn’t sad enough, her husband echoed, “I consider myself a digital hoarder . . .

if I can’t store my memories of something in a computer, I’m probably not going to keep them around.”   I ask, how can these Millennials be so shallow?  So short-sighted? So superficial? Is their family history meaningless? By time I got to the end of the article, I was fuming. When I read the last statement, I was downright smoldering.

A flippant professional organizer told a client, who should feel insulted, that the three large bags she filled of memories, one for each of her three sons . . . first-grade drawings or boxes with seashells glued to them . . . would not be appreciated. He said, “They made these things and gave them to you and you enjoyed them. The gift-giving cycle is now complete.” How can this so-called professional be so glib? So mindless? Perhaps he was never taught to appreciate gifts given and received? How will he feel when he is old and grey and finds he has no stuff left to reflect the life he lead. One thing for sure, he will have a difficult time healing from the initial loss of the tangible memories he gave away.

This brings me to the subject of my next post: educating the young on the principle of value.

Happy New Year

 

On this first day of the New Year, we try to put into action our New Year’s Resolutions if any were made. I use to make many promises to myself and as predicted, did not follow through on any of them. However, I did conquer, and that is saying this mildly, the start of creating a blog on Our Family Museum. It hasn’t been quite a year yet, but at least it is still going strong and most important, I still enjoy writing it. And I hope you have enjoyed reading it.

 

Now, as I sit and ponder what I will blog about in the New Year, I am getting this picture in my head of doing things a little differently. What my intensions have been all along is to blog about preserving family history and how to go about it. And as you have read, I feel the blog does offer a lot information at the same time entertaining, and I will keep this going, but I am going to offer more. So keep clicking on my blog and I guarantee you, you won't be disappointed.

 

Until next post, enjoy the beginning of this New Year and remember, save a bit of your family history everyday.

 

  

One Generation of TIme

From childhood to young adult, schools, careers, travels, relationships, marriage(s), parenthood and retirement, everyone moves from place to place, accumulates, inherits and buys stuff. Many boxes are filled up, moved around, some get lost, some get trashed, and some are kept. Within all of this boxed and bagged stuff, there are some worthy keepsakes. Then you ask yourself what should you do with all this stuff? The answer is to create a personal and/or Family Museum(s).

As an amateur historian, I appreciate the efforts of conservators, archeologists, even treasure hunters. Yet when you go to museums to see coveted antiques, rare artifacts and treasures from the bottom of the sea, you can’t help feeling disconnected. Glass walls retain you, museum guards prohibit you, and people standing in front of you diminish your ability to appreciate what you want to see.

However, when you arrange and display your heirlooms in your museum, you can touch the delicate lace on the doily, imagine the taste of the sweet tea in grandmas’ china teacup, sniff the sweet smell of powder in the baby blanket, see how  your mother’s wedding ring looks on your finger, and hear the shrill sound as you blow your uncle’s bugle. All of your senses; sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch . . .  come alive and so do the lives of those family members who sewed that lace, made the tea, bathed the baby, said I do, and didn’t want to get up in the morning!

For example, when I placed my father’s coal-stained paycheck stubs in the album I made for him chronicling his life, coal residue came off my fingers. When I picked up nana’s iron skillet, the weight alone made me wonder how she maneuvered this heavy pan. When my husband takes the toy truck his father made for him off the shelf to show someone, he feels his father’s pride.    

Some items make you ponder; others make you laugh. Some can make you cry. And this is all well and fine because these feelings help you see and understand your ancestors, their trials and tribulations, just like yours.   

Another example was the time when I started to display my husband’s peach-colored Leisure Suit. I asked him if he wanted to try it on. He laughed then shook his head and asked me how did I ever get him to wear it in the first place? Then he challenged me to try on my pink Dynasty suit with its big padded shoulders and jeweled encrusted lapel. I just grimaced.

What is important is to know that as you display your family memorabilia, you are preserving your family’s history. Keepsakes reveal the stages of life: baby shoes, dolls & kitchen sets, cowboys & cars, school graduations, and the top of the wedding cake. They are like those little crumbs you leave along the way as you travel down the paths you have taken through life. The things we preserve today will pass onto our children tomorrow, reestablishing our past, confirming our present, and guaranteeing that we will not be forgotten in the future.

From one generation to the next, family history gets lost. Those things that went  missing, however, left regret. But no more! Now is the time, today not tomorrow, to start creating your Family Museum. It doesn’t matter what you place on the shelf first. It doesn’t matter if it is a replacement if the original is gone. It doesn’t matter if it appears to be a piece of junk or an antiquity. It doesn’t matter if it has a hole in it or is broken. What matters is that whatever it is, it has a memory that needs to be remembered, it has a value that needs to be protected, and it has a life story that needs to be told. And not only do these things showcase you and your family’s life, it represents America’s and many other countries and cultures, too. Your museum will be a rich and rewarding project that will enhance your family's life.

“The difference between a piece of junk and an heirloom or antique is simple: one generation of time. If items can survive the junk stage for one full generation, they will become curiosities and then valuable family keepsakes and heirlooms.”        (From The Everything Family Tree Book by William G. Hartley)

Cover design on “THE BOOK THAT TAKES YOU BACK” by Michael Gitter & Sylvie Anapol (1996) available on www.books.google.com   and is proudly displayed in my Family Museum.  

I hope you enjoyed reviewing these first five posts. Comments appreciated.