My blog has been up and running for almost one month now. I have been greatly encouraged by the many visitors, repeat visitors, and the many comments both on and off the blog. It is encouraging and fulfills the reason I write and take photos.
I have been keeping a written record of many of the events and observations I have made in my life, for some time now, and there is a reason.
I have been to many funerals in my life and it always strikes me how an entire life can be summarized in a eulogy, a tribute, or an obituary. Well, of course it can't! But what happens to all of the deceased experiences, memories, and lessons of life? Unless a diary has been kept or a biography or autobiography has been written, that person's entire life experience will be lost to all who follow. Only those very close will have memories that will live beyond a few years.
I think this is a waste. When you look back at your life, what did it take to survive and achieve longevity? Many of the ingredients to your life will be unknown to all but yourself. Is there value in a life that is all but forgotten a few days after the funeral?
I believe that everybody has value and even a life that appears mundane on the surface, is interwoven with complexities. It is difficult for most of us to share deeply with another person, so what really makes us tick is often never understood by others.
I started writing the stories for my grandsons and my two children, as a remembrance and a legacy so they could better understand themselves by having some insight to their paternal gene pool. As I continued, I found other values in writing and other reasons for doing it. It became a creative outlet and an opportunity to organize my thoughts.
I always wondered why I took typing in Grades 10 and 11 in high school. The answer became clear when I purchased my first computer in 1996. The writing was no longer an arduous task and the editing and spell checks turned it into a pleasure.
I have tried to write fiction, but always draw a blank as I have a limited imagination. At best, I might embellish one of my stories, but only very little as then I wander into fiction and the story breaks down.
Thank you again to those who read the stories and enjoy the pictures enough to come back. There is much more to come. You are so fortunate that you are not obligated to me in any way so I will never really know who you all are or are not. I am OK with that.
2 comments:
You are a good blogger Dad! Keep it up!
Someone once said that we should not vote for politicians as it only encourages them. Likewise, your endorsement has encouraged me. At least to keep going for a few more days.
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