My aunt Sally died last weekend. Her funeral was today.
The funeral home people provided my uncle and cousins with a nice memorial page that included a slide show of pictures of Sally.
I remember going through pictures of Richard on that night when we found out he was gone. The next day, Sarah, the cousins, and Richard’s girl friend Ivy went through boxes of pictures to pick out the ones to be used on the big montage. There were a lot of funny stories from the girls, and the day after we found out our son was dead, we found ourselves laughing.
I have several pictures of my aunt Sally. I also have a very funny video of her.
We have a family reunion every year at “the farm,” my dad’s home. It’s a big event. Everyone brings food. There’s enough fried chicken for an army, and all manner of side dishes.
One year Sally was carrying a container of biscuits into the kitchen. Several biscuits fell out and landed on the floor. She made a quick look around, and seeing no one, she picked them up and put them back in the container. Unfortunately for Sally, I was in the next room with a video camera and caught the whole thing on tape.
It was a big hit with the family when we played Sally sneaking the spilled biscuits back into the box. She got teased about it for several reunions afterward.
I’m sure her family would like to have that video.
But that would require me to go into that dangerous box. The one with the family videos.
And I’d have to watch those movies to find the one with Sally and her biscuits.
I’m just not that brave yet.
There are so many wonderful memories on those VHS tapes. Archives of happy times. And Richard’s smiling face.
I loved that face, and those smiles. I see them in my mind everyday.
But I can’t watch them on the TV screen.
Those memories are a treasure. They’re also a reminder of the great loss we feel. And that brings such pain.
So I’m not brave enough to open that dangerous box.
Not yet.
Can you watch your old home movies?
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