Preserving Your History

Has the Mutual of Omaha Aha Tour come to your hometown yet? Check out their tour schedule to see if the van is going to be near you. They are going around the country recording people’s aha moments. Do you have one you’d like to share?

Here’s their definition of an aha moment: ” a moment of clarity, a defining moment when you gain real wisdom – wisdom you use to change your life.”

You don’t even have to record your moment in their van. You can record it at home and simply upload it to their site. Join hundreds of others and share your wisdom with the world.

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Papa with his granddaughter on his 90th birthday

My great-grandfather, Ed Rinne, was born in 1880 in Illinois.  As  a young man, he spent a short time farming with his father in Alabama.  I am lucky to have an audio interview with him done sometime in the late 70’s when he would have been 90+ years old.  But I was shocked when I listened to him talk about his time in the south. He uses the the word “nigger” repeatedly in telling this story.  I vacillated about posting it.  Would listener’s understand the language usage in the era he grew up in?  He clearly is not using it in a pejorative sense. As a matter of fact, he has scorn only for the white southerners.  But it is shocking to hear, nevertheless.

This has been an issue in the past with Twain’s Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. As well as Shakespeare’s language in The Merchant of Venice that is derogatory toward Jews.  Are we using any language today that will be shocking to our great-grand kids? Should we, or even could we, hide or sanitize our past use of language?  Here is his story as he told it, warts and all.  (Note: The “they” he refers to at the end are the white towns people.)

Papa Rinne on working in Alabama

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Dear Ella,
You probably don’t remember much about your trip to Disneyland in April of 2009. 13 grueling hours of lines and concrete and brief, wild rides. The highlight of the day was your visit to the princesses. Your Aunt Pam waited in line for almost 90 minutes for you.  Just as you were about to go in the tent, you looked thoughtful and asked, “Do you think the princesses like spiders?”  I replied, “Good question! You should ask them. They’ve probably never been asked that before.”

You met Belle first. Clearly dazzled, you lobbed her a softball by asking if she liked butterflies. “Oh yes, I like butterflies.” Gathering steam (and encouraged by your aunts), you very seriously looked her in the eye and asked what was really on your mind. Do you like spiders? Belle stopped and then replied that she liked some spiders (a very diplomatic response) and you seemed satisfied with that.

Do you like spiders?

Ariel was next.  You were very troubled about Ariel’s daughter Melody. “Your daughter Melody became a mermaid. She left you.  Are you mad at her?  Do you still love Melody?”  I think Ariel was a little taken aback at how concerned you were.  “Melody is my daughter. I will always love her even if she’s far away.” Maybe you’re prepping for the day you become a mermaid and leave your castle for the big wide sea.

One more thing. When you rode the roller coaster at Space Mountain, you screamed throughout the ride for your mother (who was in the car in front of you and might as well have been on the moon).  As the car slowed at the end, you said in a trembling voice, “That was really scary.” After a tiny pause, you brightened. “Can we do it again?”

These memories are a treasure to your parents and aunties.  We hope they will be for you, too.

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My mom sent me 12 audio cassettes recently. She had no idea what was on them. After transferring them to a digital format, I discovered hours of my family’s personal history. There was an interview with my great-grandfather with more than you’d ever want to know about hay baling. But the most exciting aspects of these tapes was the “found audio”. My father would set his boxy black Norelco tape recorder on a table and just let it run. Or he would poke the microphone around corners recording casual conversations. He surreptiously recorded hours of what most people may think of as mundane family life.  Heard again after more than 30 years, the mundane is now precious bits of lost lives. There are three of my four grandparents recalling their first or best Christmas memory. But one of my favorites is this bit of audio that my dad captured in 1970 as my youngest brother, then 5, sings “Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head”.

Jim Sings Raindrops-1970

Preserving your past can be so much richer than recording dates from a tombstone. It’s important to realize that your past is happening now.  Make use of the new slim cameras that can record audio and video and can be slipped into almost any pocket. You may not capture gold medal material every time you record something. But, believe me, through the prism of 40 years, the mundane becomes a potent family memory and is invaluable to remind you of who you once were.

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