Precious Memories Recovered

And the older you get, the more important the photograph albums become. Little images on paper. Precious memories. You will look at the photographs again and again and again. They are the visual evidence of place and time and relationships. Ritual talismans for the treasure chest of the heart.

Robert Fulghum, American author in From Beginning to End: The Rituals of Our Lives (1995)

"Writing Your Life Story" is great fun -- even when pressed to complete homework exercises in time for class. (I was writing tonight's assignment in the hairdresser's chair this afternoon.) Some of my classmates write for their families, preserving key moments of their lives that their children and grandchildren will cherish for its insight into the person who was thought of as 'dad', 'mom', 'grandpa' or 'grandma' rather than as 'Ari', 'Kathy' or 'Lynda'. Others write for themselves for the pleasure of remembering the good, and understanding the difficult times. All of us are enjoying the experience.

Remembering the wonderful little Egyptian vignettes that added so much to my life has been made much easier thanks to Mom, who collected every email I ever wrote from the Middle East in 11 thick binders, and Dad, who purchased a USB floppy disk drive to transfer to newer technology the long forgotten (and probably lost) images that he had saved more than a decade ago. The photos unlock treasured memories of friends and family, places worked and places lived. How very fortunate am I? My heart is full of gratefulness.