On June 20th, Joe and I will be celebrating our 58th wedding anniversary—God willing. The above picture was taken at our northern home, at our 50th anniversary gathering. One granddaughter was missing at the occasion because she was on a mission trip to Mexico. Since that day, 17 more people have joined our family. An additional 2 will soon join us—one through birth and one via marriage.
Many Junes, many moons. The years have catapulted inexorably forward since June 20th, 1953. Now I look back through albums of photos, documents, and poetry across an immense deja vue—more than one lifetime can hold. And yet I have held it all and preserved it for posterity.
I have archived past joys and sorrows in Creative Memory® albums, showing how God’s Grace has prevailed. As the Psalmist says, “The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places.”
Photos embrace individual moments in a long life, ardently lived and loved. Pages of documents preserve objective history—recording people, places, and events. But my poems record the deeper things that cannot be put into words that all the world can understand—simply because there are things which all the world will never bother to understand.
Poetry is the place where the life underlying photos and documents is pared to the essence and fearlessly addressed—in a few concise words. Poetry speaks only to those who desire to read between the lines, those souls who—having experienced much—are still vulnerable and willing to experience more.
Meanwhile current joys and sorrows are accumulating, soon to be arranged in new albums. The joys of family and friends, my garden, and my Pembroke Welsh corgi will be preserved. Also archived will be the heart attack which Joe had 2 days ago, and his newly inserted defibrillator/pacemaker which we pray will give him renewed life and energy.
Joe is now recuperating at Aurora Summit Hospital with me by his side. Meanwhile we’ve received word that, due to serious illness, a beloved granddaughter has been admitted to another hospital just a few miles away.
Archiving life! Photos and documents can skim the surface of these latest events. But there are times when, like prayer, only a poem will do!
Margaret L. Been ©2011
Northern Reflections--glimpses of gold by Margaret L. Been 