Looking back on nearly 70 years
Here at the end of 2021, the lyrics of a Paul Simon song that The Legal Genealogist has adored for decades have a particular power:
Can you imagine us years from today
Sharing a park bench quietly?
How terribly strange to be 70…1
Yep… it is in fact terribly strange to be 70. And almost as strange to have told so many stories of those years in the 10 years that I’ve been writing this blog.
And yep, before you ask, I certainly do have my favorites.
And yep again, before you ask, I certainly do intend to share my top 10 list with you.
My personal favorites of my own stories… the ones that have meant the most to me. In purely chronological order, starting with the first published and coming forward:
“Next door to our house was the backyard of a property that ran all the way from the next street down through to our street. And in that backyard… oh, in that backyard… were blueberries. And not just any blueberries, but blueberries grown by a magician.”
“… Everyone — everyone — was glad when the Fourth of July rolled around. Because going to town on the Fourth of July meant gathering together with everyone I loved… and going to the Fair.”
• The kitten, the mudballs and Thor
“J.C. Barrett came into my family’s lives not long after World War II sent him to the Midland Army Air Force Base outside of Midland, Texas, and on the 12th of August 1942, he married my oldest aunt, Cladyne, in Odessa, Texas. … And I can’t ever think of him without three particular memories coming to the forefront every single time.”
• The Great Christmas Closet Caper
“It was probably 1958. Maybe 1959. But most likely 1958. And it was the Worst Christmas Ever. I mean it. In capital letters. Worst. Christmas. Ever.”
“The attic was a place where, it seemed, anything might be found. Old clothes to dress up in. A place to hide when the younger kids were just too annoying. An education in anatomy, through the … um … unclad figures in my father’s old how-to-do-photography books. And the boy in the picture.”
“It is, sometimes, the little things that mean the most. That stick with you the longest. That become the memories you cherish for a lifetime.”
“The Legal Genealogist is of That Age. You know the age I mean. The age where we had everything — and I mean everything — as kids.”
“In so so many ways, Timothy Evan Geissler beat the odds. Born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus at a time when so many children with those conditions died soon after birth, Tim was a fighter who wouldn’t give up. … Always with a smile on his face. Always with the words of a Taylor Swift song in his heart. Always with a Cubs shirt on his back. But, yesterday, our time with Tim ran out.”
“It may be one of the best articles of all time — the article entitled “The 5 Best Toys of All Time,” written back in 2011.
• Stick • Box • String • Cardboard Tube • Dirt”
“It’s a story The Legal Genealogist heard often. One my mother loved to tell. It’s about the day we moved into the house in New Jersey where I grew up.”
And nope, before you ask, I have no intention of stopping.2
At least not yet.
Because telling our own stories is part of our family history.
And my own stories aren’t done yet.
How are you telling yours?
Cite/link to this post: Judy G. Russell, “Recording a lifetime…,” The Legal Genealogist (https://www.legalgenealogist.com/blog : posted 30 Dec 2021).
SOURCES
- Paul Simon, “Old Friends,” recorded by Simon & Garfunkel, 1968. ↩
- You can find more of my own family history in the category My family on The Legal Genealogist website. ↩
I’m 80! I have read your blogs since way back when, the exact date escapes me as a lot of things escape me now, but do like how you put the words together, sometimes bringing a story to a nice sweet ending. Then on the other hand, I can almost hear you scream “darnit” when that trail disappears in the mist of time.
I sure hope 2022-23 lets us get together in person, cousin Stan…
In 2020, a week before the first shutdown, we became first time grandparents – something that I thought would never happen. Our son had just turned 40 a month earlier. After months of being stuck in our home, unable to visit or know our precious granddaughter, I came to the realization that it was possible that I MIGHT get Covid and die and that our Lorelei would not ever know me. It broke my heart and so I decided to write her “letters to Lorelei” and tell her my story, her grandfather’s story and all those family stories that my grandmothers and parents had told me. I have been writing those stories as well as my thoughts about finances, marriage, education, faith, the death of a loved one, my love for genealogy and family history, and oh so much more. So far I’ve written nearly 40 letters – 58 pages and 38,000+ words! My intent is that she will get the box of letters sometime after she is 15 or so. And no, I have not shared anything that’s in the letters with either one of her parents. So that’s how I’ve been telling my own story. It’s been a journey, for sure.
I absolutely ADORE this. What a wonderful gift you’re giving this oh-so-very-lucky granddaughter.
Thank you. It’s been such fun. I’ve been digging through old pictures to jog my memory (also turning 70 this year). LOL
I like reading your articles very much. When you mentioned “Old Friends” it brought back memories. My cousin and I (aged 72 and 71) recall sitting on a park bench in California with another cousin 50 years ago and singing that song. Terribly strange to be 70, indeed. My cousin and I have many family stories and recently discussed the need to record them for our descendants. So now we need to get from our intention to action.
Yes, indeed — get those memories recorded!!