Mommeries

Martine sent a huge box of photos and mementos that belonged to our mother. I am so very grateful to her for accomplishing this task, the sorting through and dividing up of Mom's lifetime accumulation of tangible memories. I'm sure it was bittersweet and joyful for her just as it was for me when I opened the box and perused its contents. Even though there wasn't necessarily a photo of each and every memory the pictures evoked, I feel as though I have witnessed the milestones of glory and sorrow experienced by my Mother's family of origin, her extended family, the family she created with my father, and finally, of the families forged by my three siblings and me. To say the very least, I feel emotionally exhausted! More than a century's worth of human history in all its possible moments. I'm saddened by how many of these people are no longer living. It's hard to believe that I know the names and recognize the faces of family members that I met on just a few occasions. Having accumulated over thirty previous addresses before I was that many years old made me feel rootless and windblown when I moved into this house. Now, those growing up years of constant moving have come in handy, I can easily place the year and location of nearly every setting because I recognize the house we lived in at the time. Giving me an anchor in time and place for what felt like a childhood plagued by wanderlust. It's been a long, strange trip so far. And after a few days of gazing so deeply into the past, I've been pondering what the future holds. And what sort of photos my sons will pull out of the box of my life's memories when I have departed.