Today marks my parents’ 60th Wedding Anniversary. They were married on 11 October 1958 in Highland Park, Wayne, Michigan, by a Justice of the Peace, on what Mom described as a wet and cold Fall evening. They were attended by my Aunt and Uncle, who served as their witnesses. A simple celebration. A life-time of devotion.
All are gone now and I realize just how much I miss being able to chat with all of them. So many questions come up in the course of my personal genealogy research that go unanswered; because I didn’t know to ask sooner or to pay more attention when they did share things.
So, all that to say, if you still have family members who are able to share their memories, go ahead and ask them questions. With the ease of a cell phone, one can record their stories, capture their laughter and tears, and have a digital keepsake to cherish. Write down the dates, locations, guests, etc. who attended those special milestone moments. Ask about their childhood, their grandparents and great-grandparents, school, work, places they lived … share and record those memories.
I wish more people would do this. Several years before he died, my dad allowed me to record his memoirs – just for me and my sister, he didn’t want it to be public, but it was well worth it. Both of us now wish we had something similar of our mother, but of course we didn’t think of it then.