Copyright ©
2008, 2000 by Michael
Segers, all rights reserved
The
woman was on her knees on the hot asphalt, sobbing hysterically. Her husband
looked as if he did not know what to do, while her two children tried to console
her. Finally, the boy said, "But, Mamma, they didn’t even get the video
camera." They had found their rented van broken into. Their video camera
case and tapes had been stolen, but as the boy said, the camera had not been
taken..
"Yes,"
she sobbed, "I know. But, they did get all the videotapes of our trip to
Orlando. Now, we won’t have any way to remember our trip."
I
know what a violation it is to have your personal property stolen, and I
certainly sympathize with her, but I am a little more optimistic than she is
about her ability to remember the happy days her family spent together. But nowadays we are relying so much
upon our cameras that perhaps we are losing some of our ability to remember. In
fact, sometimes, it seems as if people are going places more to make videotapes
than to have an experience at the place.
Recently,
however, we have had several anniversaries falling together within less than two
weeks, illustrating the persistence of our memories over the years and
generations. With each of them, my experience of the anniversary has been
enriched by Internet sites that I want to share with you.
Jewish
believers around the world have recently observed Pesach, or Passover, as
it is known in English. This solemn remembrance of the gaining of freedom by the
Jewish people from their Egyptian slavery resonates for all people but it is
distinctly part of the Jewish tradition, which, of course, makes it distinctly
part of the Christian heritage also. As I looked around the Internet, I found
this impressive site, which is divided into levels. Not being Jewish, I started
off at the level for children:
http://www.ou.org/chagim/pesach
Easter
came late this year, April 23rd. In fact, it can only occur two days
later, observed as it is on the Sunday after the full moon after the vernal
equinox. So Holy Week (beginning Palm Sunday, the Sunday before Easter) and
Passover overlapped, and a couple of anniversaries of recent sad events also
occurred during that week. I was delighted to find a web site dedicated to pysanky
or Ukrainian Easter eggs. I was frankly surprised to find a whole web ring, many
sites linked together, devoted to these exquisite works of folk art. So much
more than just Easter eggs, pysanky are a commemoration not only of the
great event of Easter but also of Ukrainian culture:
http://www.webring.org/cgi-bin/webring?ring=eggs;list
The
fifth anniversary of the bombing in Oklahoma City was the occasion for the
unveiling of the Oklahoma City National Memorial, a strange arrangement of
stylized chairs, empty chairs, to recall the worst act of terrorism on the soil
of our country. This is becoming an age of memorials, as we try to find emblems
to hold our collective memories. This new memorial is well documented on the
Internet:
http://www.oklahomacitynationalmemorial.org/
Of
course, the fifth anniversary of the bombing in Oklahoma City was also the
seventh anniversary of the raid on the Branch Davidian compound in Waco. It’s
important to remember that there are Branch Davidians who were not at the
compound and did not accept the leadership of the Waco group. Here is a
very thorough discussion of the group:
http://www.religioustolerance.org/dc_branc.htm
Two
days after that anniversary, on Good Friday, the country was reminded of the
events at a high school in Colorado a year ago. As a former teacher and current
commentator, I’ve been tempted to write about those events, but I’ve felt
that, like the murder of a child beauty-queen in another Colorado city, the
events at that high school have been exploited by too much discussion. I don’t
feel that all the talk has really accomplished anything.
Well,
it has convinced me that if I were in school today, I might be on a list of kids
being observed for dangerous behavior. A strange pairing of the American
Psychological Association and MTV has produced a pamphlet on youth violence with
an accompanying web site. I don’t like some of the methods and ideas discussed
in this pamphlet and web site, but at least it offers a sensible, civilized
discussion:
http://www.apa.org/campaign/mtvupdate.html
The
Sunday after Easter, Americans paused to remember the most divisive issue in
American history in my lifetime, the Vietnam War, on the twenty-fifth
anniversary of the fall of Saigon. There are so many images of that war burned
into our collective memory that have been reprised in newspapers and on
television lately, and so many old wounds are still festering. I suggest that
you look at the story of my meeting with the parents of a young Marine, whose
memories are still fresh, decades after his death.
That
article also includes a link to the online Vietnam Veterans Memorial. And, if I
may be so bold, let me suggest that you back up your browser and check out
memories of roves and raves we’ve shared.
The last I saw of the woman whose videotapes were stolen, she was huddled over in the front seat of the van, waiting for the company from which they had rented it to bring another, since the lock on the passenger’s side had been broken. I hope that she has had many opportunities to play the videotapes that a mother’s heart is always making.
And
if the title of this piece seemed to jog something in your persistent memories,
you can view the famous Salvador Dali painting:
http://dl.nlb.gov.sg/digitalk/2007/05/memories_are_made_of_1.html
Keep your feet dry, your heart full of noble thoughts and good memories, even in times of sad commemorations, and share your persistent memories with your families and friends.