It is definitely winter here in Indiana; mid-January with several snowfalls on the ground, blowing winds and temps well below freezing. In lieu of actually packing my bags for a trip, I am asking myself, What is a journey? What do we mean when we talk about a journey or the journey or my journey? Is it a noun as in a trip, an expedition, a pilgrimage, a jaunt? Is it a verb as in to ramble, trek or wander? Is it simply an act of traveling from one place to another, one fixed point to a destination? Or does it also suggest journeying as a process of personal change and development, such as from youth to old age?
Certainly any two or ten or a hundred people could begin from the same starting point with the same end point in mind. A fixed destination may be reached by many people. But it is in the individual journey where the worth and value are found. Think of water. It falls as rain. Just rain. But the rain falls into streams which flow into rivers which flow into oceans. In it's journey rain serves animals, people and communities who use it for their needs, for their survival. Simple rain becomes a vital resource. It is in the journey that the value of rain is revealed.
Which has me thinking about the part that memories play in our overall journey. And perhaps, more importantly, at specific points along the way where the challenges might be the greatest and the need to steady ourselves the strongest.
This post is for my niece, Carrie, who is currently facing her own very challenging circumstances. My intention is to jog some memories with a few pictures of her journey that I pulled from our family archives. Memories are treasures that live forever in our hearts. They let us know that we exist within a constellation of people and events that live within us and outside of us. Memories can be a source of strength and enable us to continue on with our journey for whatever life has in store for us.
In Carrie's case, let them remind her of family and just how much she is loved and respected. This one's for you!
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| Carrie Eileen Hambly Anderson |
I took the above picture many years ago with my very first 35mm camera. To this day it ranks as one of my all time favorite photos I have taken.
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| Carrie and her older brother, Todd. |
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| Christmas (maybe)1962: Carrie with Aunt Pam, Todd and Aunt Mary |
Gotta love that big Hambly Christmas tree with Grandpa Ross's carefully placed tinsel!
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| 1968 |
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| A spontaneous Polaroid snapshot of Carrie, her Dad (long before Tony Soprano), her Grandpa Ross and Grandma Eileen. |
Above snapshot looks like the aftermath of a big family dinner/gathering at the cabin at Tulalip.
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| Christmas 1968: Todd & Carrie |
Who said those school pictures would never come in handy!
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| Yakima 1971: Carrie (with sister, Stacy, hamming it up!) |
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| Summer 1976: Carrie, Stacy and Aunt Mary at Tulalip |
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| With Aunt Pam |
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| And Uncle Jim (AKA: Bradford) |
"It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that
matters in the end." -(Author) Ursula K. Le Guin
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| Christmas 1988 with son Darryl at 5 years old |
Easter 2004: With sons Darryl (left) and Derrick (right)
Carrie with (back row) brothers Ron and Danny, (front row) brother Todd, sister Stacy and son, Derrick.
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| December 2013 at La Conner: The occasion of Grandpa Ross's 100th Birthday Party |
Carrie and (back row) her Dad, Leary, and Stepmother, Pat,
(front row) Uncle John and Aunt Nancy
Signing off with affection and appreciation for that particular quality of the "snapshot" to capture random moments for the time capsule in our memory. Through the snapshot we can recognize that we are not alone. After all, someone else was there with us at that point in the journey to take the picture, record the random moment, and later, maybe jog our memory.
To Carrie, sending great love, support and faith.
Aunt Mary
Traveling at Home
by Wendell Berry
Even in a country you know by heart
it's hard to go the same way twice.
The life of the going changes.
The chances change and make a new way.
Any tree or stone or bird
can be the bud of a new direction. The
natural correction is to make intent
of accident. To get back before dark
is the art of going.
It's the journey..thats the answer!!
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