Looking back into the past is such a pleasure when one has a Mother such as I had. Glued to the pages of one of her many scrapbooks are mementos of Pagosa before electronic storage devices. Articles printed in the"Pagosa Sun" of local events such a scores of the local high school sports or who had dinner with a friend complete with names, or major events. The photo here is a partial glimpse of one of the most famous stories to be printed, John Wayne and film crew arrived to make a movie "The Cowboys."
Anyone who knew my Mother, knew that she was not a shy lady and had many friends while working in the Citizens Bank or attending the Baptist Church. I don't know how she managed but she became friends with John Wayne and was personally invited to travel into the mountains and witness the scene where John Wayne would be shot.
Times change and people come and go but I am so glad those before me took the time to save memories on printed paper that I hold, feel and smell. Tucked away in these old scrap books are family history, world history, and events that although they are stored away in memory, the pages bring them back to life. To all the younger generation I would make a request that not all past be stored on some electronic device that become obsolete with each passing day, save some of the past for your grandchildren to hold and admire.
Oh, how Grandma Willett loved to tell the story about having lunch with John Wayne when he came into town during the filming of True Grit! That must have been one of her fondest memories.
ReplyDeleteAnd it is so true that we need to save THINGS like photos and pieces of paper and books that tell our stories and give future generations a sense of who we were and where they came from.