March 30, 2009

The Snows of Yesteryear

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It is spring. With it comes the urge to clean house.

I am staring into a closet full of correspondence, journals, diaries, projects, hundreds of photographs, and personal belongings that family, spouse, and friends have left in my keep after they drifted into the great hereafter.

Dad willed me his correspondence spanning almost 60 years. Mother insisted that I should get her journals, full of unexpected revelations. My exiled spouse left me with all of his family’s memorabilia unfortunately, none of his family survived WWII, and friends who drifted through this world and ended their journey in Los Angeles have left me with countless boxes of photographs. Some of my closest friends, though all very different, had one thing in common, and thirty years ago lived difficult and often tortured lives. Several entrusted me with their most personal writings. Sadly, most close relatives I contacted refused to read, let alone listen to their stories.

I was born into privileged surroundings witnessed and documented many interesting social events.
The opportunity to travel came at a young age. For years, I made photography a hobby. I took pictures of people I knew. It was easier then, there was greater freedom of movement. That era is dead. The kind of life I was able to photograph does not exist anymore and most of the people I photographed are gone. It is interesting to go through the boxes and rediscover them. Even so, they were well known, they were the most natural, unpretentious people I ever met. They never talked about themselves.

So, I will return the pictures back into the closet and leave them for others to discover some day. Instruments and sheet music I will donate to a music school, since I no longer can play. The more personal and intimate writings I will submit to the shredder.

I do not feel to nostalgic about that time, although I liked it better than this one. I feel just very lucky to have been part of it, and I really enjoyed myself.

21 comments:

a fan said...

Very kind and unsentimental

Midnight owl said...

you certainly had a very interesting life

pensive in Seattle said...

ah, yes, where are the snows of yesteryear?

Silverlake neighbor said...

Shame you can not play anymore. We used to enjoy the concerts so much.
Something to remembercaffiner

weeping Mona said...

Ms Edna,
you are the most unsentimental person I have ever met.

retired in Silverlake said...

I remember Bill well he was a colleague at the LA Phil.
A fine musician and real gentlemen.
Shame he died so young.

Carl said...

wow, any of the items up for review?
please contact

your favorite editor said...

yes, please. May we share? Would love to rescue some of the items, if possible.
Please call.

UCLA medical center said...

Dear Author,
you have given me a most enjoyable
morning of reading.
Thank you.

Anonymous said...

i stumbled onto your blog by accident
lucky me. great and fun read.
keep it up.
thanks

member of GLAAD said...

thanks for the post
I know of one person
this is dedicated to
kind of you to remember

member of Global AIDS Alliance said...

yes, thank you

member of the LA transgender community said...

thanks
you may want to consider
contacting this site
http://www.velvetfoundation.org/?gclid=CNHaluLjzpkCFRUhnAodEg8PuA

a friend said...

Milostiva,

this is
for Rudolf
to whom you remained loyal
until the bitter end

Bog,

Friends said...

for
Bob and Arnold
your neighbors
we thank you

Anonymous said...

for
Baldur v. O.
whose privacy you protected
in spite of all the obstacles
we thank you

Anonymous said...

you remained
always a good friend
and words are inadequate
to express our thanks,
but they are all we got.

Anonymous said...

this is interesting
snows of yesteryear

best read i had all day said...

great read, thanks

a friend said...

thank you, a most moving post.

Anonymous said...

I wept in memory of a friend.