It's a new year, so time, thought I, to start a more regular series of posts to this family stories blog.
As you know by now, my obsession is the preservation of our family stories and memories for future generations. Our children are unlikely to ever ask us about our past until they themselves feel a sense of mortality, by which time it may well be too late, as I found to my cost. The photographs of my mother's early years may sit in their box, but they lack narrative and context which I am unable to provide since I was simply not there and now neither is she.
A determination to ensure that this doesn't happen to another generation has led me to this point. It is a parent's obligation to capture for safe-keeping the memories which we make with our children each and every day as they grow and learn. Our legacy for them, all laid out in pictures and words.
Each week I will revisit a memory from some part or other of my life, and the idea is that you join in and do the same! Don't leave me exposed, man.
There will be moments of fun, moments of sadness, and probably some bad hair errors, but don't be put off.
Enter your own memories into the fray via your blog or. if you like, just leave a comment and join in that way, but do join in.
I am throwing down the gauntlet this week with the first in the series:-
My Earliest Baby Photo
I believe I was about 5 days old in the photo here, taken in 1967.
I was born on the bed in the very same house in which my parents spent the almost 50 years of their marriage together until mum passed away. Dad still lives there now.
If mum were alive, there is an outside chance that she might be shouting, "That's a photo of your brother, you idiot." But since she can't really complain, I will go with it. It looks like me anyway...
I also recently found this rather moving letter which my dad wrote to me shortly after the birth of my youngest son. It still makes me weep buckets that my amazing but insular father could feel like this and never have told me... until just months after we lost mum. Amazing what a baby's birth can do to a man. I love you, dad.
Now, go and find that photo of yourself when you were just a tiny pink squidge in a blanket, post it to your blog and tell us something about it (or just share a baby-me story in the comments), then post a link to it here for us to find...
Please visit the other blogs on the list and leave a comment or two - it makes everyone's day!