I think about this all the time. About what photographs and objects can and can't tell us, how they become conduits for staying connected to people and places (remembered and imagined). The futility of trying to hold onto and preserve everything. Especially when it comes to interacting with elders. With my Nonna, a large part of how I am able to communicate/connect with her is because she’s been telling the same series of stories, anecdotes, and shared memories for years. As her health and memory declines, I can now repeat them back to her. I also am grappling with trying to remain in the moment, not disassociate from the present by imagining it as a future memory. It's a strange thing to grieve someone who is still here, right in front of you, but you are not quite able to reach them (at least not through words).
Accepting the futility of holding on to everything is something I struggle with! I’ve often felt let down by my memory, thinking that I should remember more than I actually do. Meanwhile, I have high school friends telling me how amazing my memory is because they don’t remember half the stuff I do haha. And let’s not get into the trinkets and mementos I’ve collected over the years. Thank you for sharing about your nonna 🩵
I think about this all the time. About what photographs and objects can and can't tell us, how they become conduits for staying connected to people and places (remembered and imagined). The futility of trying to hold onto and preserve everything. Especially when it comes to interacting with elders. With my Nonna, a large part of how I am able to communicate/connect with her is because she’s been telling the same series of stories, anecdotes, and shared memories for years. As her health and memory declines, I can now repeat them back to her. I also am grappling with trying to remain in the moment, not disassociate from the present by imagining it as a future memory. It's a strange thing to grieve someone who is still here, right in front of you, but you are not quite able to reach them (at least not through words).
Accepting the futility of holding on to everything is something I struggle with! I’ve often felt let down by my memory, thinking that I should remember more than I actually do. Meanwhile, I have high school friends telling me how amazing my memory is because they don’t remember half the stuff I do haha. And let’s not get into the trinkets and mementos I’ve collected over the years. Thank you for sharing about your nonna 🩵