I talk to my Dad on the phone every morning at 7:30; actually, it's more than that- we FaceTime every morning! We upgraded our communication style when COVID began, not knowing then how long it would be before in-person visits resumed; we've been "seeing" each other daily since then. He was telling me the other day how he can't seem to remember things anymore, things that used to be so familiar to him: restaurant names, places, things like that; it discouraged him. I had just cleaned out that closet (former post) to make way for Christmas decorations and found a boxful of old photographs with people in them that I wasn't sure I could identify. Thinking that this might be the perfect memory-jogger for him, as well as a great way for me to get information for labeling these photos, I showed this one to him today. All that I knew was that I'm the baby being held in this picture and that this was taken at my grandparents' home. Dad is a wealth of knowledge; as soon as he saw this scene he told me that this was my great aunt, my grandmother's sister. From there he regaled me with tales about the car in the background (I learned it was a 1947 Ford that belonged to my grandfather) where it was purchased and how many miles it had on it at the time, what options it had, and how he had "borrowed" it to take my mother on a date because he liked it so much better than his own car at the time. He even recalled what, and when, my grandfather traded it in for years later. It was the best "visit", we both enjoyed it; me in the listening and he in the happy remembering and retelling, he was really excited about that. I'm going to pull out a few more to look at this week, it's a great way to start the day!
8 comments:
Loved this post. My Mom and I would talk each day and sometimes morning and evening. She was 95 lived alone but always had such good memories of the past. She was blind her last two years of life but we could describe a picture and she had a story to tell. My Mom died in September and each evening at 7:30 I think of all the good stories I heard at that time.
Treasures for a life time.
Excellent decision to pull out those photos and include them as part of your daily visit. If I know you, you'll be noting much of that information to go with the photos, too.
ahh precious photo memories...i chat with my mom every single day at least once...she will be 95 next month...
That’s such a great idea…a great memory for him and a wealth of knowledge for you.
Oh, you were inspired! What a good activity to help your Dad draw upon his memory and recognize how much he CAN recall. And how sweet that you have that daily visit!
I hope you make notes on each of the photos you show him so you will have the stories that go with them to pass along to your children and grandchildren. As the self-appointed family historian, I am passionate about getting old family photos labeled, while those who know about them are still with us. I am so grateful I sat with my Mom a couple of years before she passed and went through her boxes of photos and albums, recording the stories she remembered about them. We treasure the insights we gained into her life experiences.
<3
You are so lucky to be able to jog his memory like that. I’m frequently wishing I could ask my mom or dad something but it’s too late for me.. beautiful post
We so often wish we'd asked the older generation for tales of their youth after they are no longer able to remember. I'd say take notes too! I remember asking my mother-in-law about her past and being fascinated but nowadays I'm forgetting the details that she relayed to me myself...
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