Discovery

I just took a few moments to review, and discovered that, what I thought might have been erased into the vast chasm of the digital waste basket, was actually right there in full view all the time. Somehow, I had thought that I started blogging sooner than I actually had, and that a year's worth of writing had evaporated. Now, had I taken the time to read the first entry, I would have realized that what is posted is actually the full content. We won't speak as to how erudite any of it is...

It is way too easy to get timelines scrambled around in our minds, and I'm not sure that gets any better as we age, though maybe it just refines itself down to the most important moments, and then we remember those quite well. In speaking with a co-worker about her working history with the MFAH director, Peter Marzio, who recently passed away somewhat unexpectedly, I was reminded that more and more of what we take for granted about those around us is actually a very rich tapestry of stories, which when viewed for the first time, can definitely rework the importance of some of those timeline moments. Oops. Time to pack up the netbook, and get ready for work.....!

Setting the record straight.

First thing this morning, a certain eldest child of mine e-mailed me, winking smiley-face in tow, to gently chastise me for saying that my blogging was the fault of my children. Ah...must have been a poor choice of words right off the bat!
Let's say that they helped lead me to it. So much talk about My Space, and then Facebook, and then lots of parents getting on Facebook, and now everyone Twittering about. What a revolution in personal communication! So it's all about trying something different. Since I tend to get reflective when I'm writing, might as well blog. Not the fault of the kids, just about learning the technology in order to keep up communication. Also makes it easier to keep up with lots of other fun people!
For many, many years, my mother's family had a "round robin" letter which followed a route from family member to family member from East Coast to West Coast. When it came, there was great rejoicing to look at new pictures and once again try to decipher Uncle Hal's handwriting. All of the women's handwriting was beautiful because practically all were teachers. The letter was fat and always required multiple stamps, and took two months or so to make the loop back around. She kept every one of the letters she ever wrote, so we have a wealth of family history and crazy stories and philosophy. How are we going to record that for the next generations...