Family Historian

I am the self appointed family historian. I want to know my family's roots. I have filled a book chronicling the arrival from Europe. I have documents and pictures to match. Yesterday at my parents house my sister found a red box. Inside it was a picture album that my mother meticulously put together. The pictures are from 1935 on. They show her family from teenage years until young adulthood. There are pictures of people I had never seen before. By putting together the stories I know, I can put names to the faces. I will place each photograph into my Family History book and clearly label who the people are. So many people have unlabeled pictures that are tossed away because no one knows who the people are. A cousin of mine from California sent me all of the pictures of her parents and our mutual grandparents and great-grand parents. She is a widow who never had children and for years worried that these precious pictures would be tossed in the garbage when she died. She now knows that they will be kept in a book to be passed on to my grandchildren. I feel a connection to my ancestors. I see my face in theirs. I will try to keep their memories alive.

Sunday With Dad

I am up, dressed and ate breakfast. At 8:15 my sister will pick me up to go to Brooklyn to take my father to dialysis. This is the second Sunday that this schedule is being changed because of the New Years holiday. We will drop him off and go to his house to straighten up. A few hours later we will pick him and give him lunch. Next week he will be back on track.

Spring Like

It is 51 degrees outside. It is winter but feels like spring. When I walked Shelby this morning, I thought it was April. The air had the springtime quality that feels wonderful after a long winter. Then I realized that the long winter had not even begun yet. Years ago I would check the Farmer's Almanac to see what type of winter it would be. It was usually correct. With all of the internet apps that is no longer necessary. I just hope it is a fast season.

Rain, Rain

It is another rainy Friday and soon I will be on the road to get my father from dialysis. Whether it rains or shines, the ride is still my quiet time. The car knows the way by itself so all I need to do is navigate the wheel. It is a deja vu day. I park in the same spot, see the same people, make the same polite conversation and get back on the road to Long Island. I like Fridays. Having a routine is a good thing.

Easily Forgotten

I am off of work from Dec 24 to Jan 2. I have already forgotten about my office. Last night I got a text from the evening receptionist asking if she could leave early as all of the patients had left. For a moment, I did not realize what day it even was. I forgot that my office was open. I have not thought about the people or the place. For the past few days it is as if they do not exist. I am playing the role of a retired person for one week and can see how easy it is to detach from a working life. I am not sure if I like it or not.

Backing Up

I am off this week and trying to do everything that I can to tie up loose ends. This morning I decided to put all of my important computer folders onto a flash drive. In case my computer crashes I am safe. Although the cloud is good, when I transferred my telephone contacts they were lost in the "clouds" so I no longer trust it. Everything backed up well and I do not have to worry if my computer breaks. One less thing on my list.

Christmas

This is the first Christmas in 14 years that I have not been in New England. It was a hard year for me, traveling almost every day to Brooklyn for months and now doing it twice a week. I saw my granddaughters last week and it was just too hard to make the drive again. I am now rethinking that decision. I miss the holiday with them. I miss seeing them open their gifts. I miss the family dinner. I miss the day. Next year, hopefully I will be there with them. It does not matter if you celebrate the holiday. You can still celebrate the family.