I have been writing articles for more than 10 years. I have written about our early history, businesses, people, schools, transportation to name only a few topics. There is so much history surrounding us.
You can go to the Holland Land Office Museum, our county museum or visit the Batavia Historical Cemetery on Harvester, go to our Richmond Memorial Library, or visit our county Historian, Michael Eula, at the Genesee County History Department.
Deciding to clean out our attic, I discovered another place surrounded by history. As I entered our crowded, dusty attic on that first day, I was immediately taken back to an earlier time. I found, in the back of the attic, our daughters’ cribs and their toys. Opening bins of their toys reminded me of their faces on Christmas morning. Where did the time go?
I felt I was in a time capsule and was landing at different decades. The cribs were taken to the dumpster but the memories stayed. I landed next to bins that said, “Jenn sort,” and “Jes sort.” I opened the bins and smiled at what they have saved and wondered why I was still storing them.
There were bins filled with photographs, not organized, just sitting haphazardly in a bin. Every picture took you to that time and in my mind, I relived the memories. One particular album caught my eye. It was filled with just 8-by-10 pictures. In the '70s you could have your child’s picture taken for $.99 for an 8-by-10 picture at J.J. Newberry’s or W.T. Grant Co. department stores. I found our daughters dancing recital costumes and soccer jerseys.
My next landing was very bittersweet. A bin of memories my mom had given me many years ago that I don’t remember ever seeing. How did she do it with six children and found the time to save articles about us growing up. There were programs that I had been in along with many pictures. There was even my medical history with shots and my allergy testing. So that brought me back to living on Highland Park and then Evergreen Drive.
I found my wedding gown and wedding pictures. I loved my simple gown and the cherished memories of that day. I laughed when I saw one picture of my brothers’, one in a plaid jacket and the other in plaid pants. That landing was such a sweet memory, especially the picture of me dancing with my Dad surrounded by family and friends. So many pictures of him and me on important events in my life, my Communion, my Confirmation, my wedding, my retirement, and our daughters' baptisms. Did he know how much those pictures meant to me, did I ever tell him?
My next landing were the pictures of my students and the cards and letters they sent me. I would always have them write their name and date on any gifts they gave me. I had a file on every class. In the early years, they were remembered on slides and in the later years in a PowerPoint (presentation). I hope they all knew what they meant to me. So many children, so many years, so many memories!
Now our children are married and we are blessed with grandchildren. There are no words to describe what those children mean to us. They also had fun in the attic last year when they played with their mother’s toys and wore the old-fashioned hats.
My last landing was also my most recent memories. The pictures were from our parents' memorial services with CDs that chronologically displayed their lives through pictures. Losing our parents filled me with a mixture of sadness and so much happiness. We were loved, just like we love our children and how they love their children. It is a cycle that will always continue.
I’m done for now in the attic. It was quite a ride. I realized that everything I saved was a part of my history.
I know you all have someplace similar to an attic that holds your memories. My memories have reentered my heart in a different way, an older way. Now when I look at old pictures I remember the history. I am glad I took a memory tour in our attic. It just made me realize how lucky I am to hold these cherished memories. When there are days that don’t seem to go the way I hoped, maybe I should revisit our attic.
