Friday, January 30, 2015

January 30:Writing Prompt #30-Burning Down the House

Your home is on fire. Grab five items (assume all people and animals are safe). What did you grab?
1. My boys’ baby albums and journals-A lot of my earliest photos (digital ones) were lost when my old computer crashed several years ago, and the rest of those early photos were on my ex-husband’s computer, so even in our digital age, it would be important for me to grab and preserve the memories of my babies that I had already printed and scrapbooked before I lost them, especially for the boys and their future families. I also have a couple of journals I’ve written in over the years for each of them, and it would be impossible today to recreate my thoughts, feelings, and perspective of those days before they were born and when they were very young and I was sleep deprived and figuring out motherhood as they grew. J   
2. My computer-All the photos, blogs, and journaling I’ve done post divorce and new marriage are on my current laptop. Yes, I’ve backed most of it up on various thumb drives, but it would be quicker and easier to grab the computer in a fire, I think.
3. Our Bali Batiks-My husband and I took a trip a trip to Bali, Indonesia as our first travel experience together. It was a yoga retreat, and it was fabulous. The 2 batiks we picked out together while there, I had framed for a wedding present for my husband. These have lots of sentimental value for both of us.  I asked my husband what he would bring, and this is what he said, so I’d have him grab those on the way out! J Simply because I don’t think I’d be able to carry everything I have listed here in my arms in one trip. 
4. Our wedding album and memory box-The wedding album could probably be recreated/reprinted since I made it on Shutterfly, but the memory box of stuff would be a true loss.  The box has the ring bearer pillows my mother in law made, some dried flowers from the day, our guest book, and lots of other goodies. 
5. My Grandmother and Grandfather Remembers books and my Grandmother’s writings.  Before my grandmother and granddaddy on my mother’s side passed away, they filled out grandmother and grandfather remembers book, and I have treasured them ever since.  My Mama Gray (my dad’s) mom also completed a book, so I have 3 total. Also, in my grandmother’s later years, my mom discovered some of her writings in a binder at her home, and she saved it for me.  This means so much to me as I have always believed at least some of my writing talent (be what it is) came from her. She was published in a few Christian magazines, and regardless of publication or not, she just loved to write, like her granddaughter, Susannah. J 

You know, it’s good to consider this because it helps you think about what’s really most important in your life. And like a lot of people, I would keep mostly the sentimental things that only mean something to us specifically. But, the bottom line that I’ve discovered over the years (especially considering the TOTAL loss of my storage from 1997-which included all my college memories, antique furniture picked out for my room in H.S., etc…) is that nothing is really THAT important.  After all, you can’t take it with you in the end, anyway.  So, what would you take, if anything? 

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