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by Rob Ferguson
Tis the time and season for
many who honor the cherished
memories of past loved ones
by venturing out to burial
sites to pay their respects.
As is tradition, visiting a
cemetery, cleaning
tombstones, planting
flowers, and offering a
prayer allows for one to
reminisce of happy times of
a bygone era. It is the
stories and afterthoughts of
a dearly departed parent,
grandparent, spouse, child,
grandchild, or even friend
that causes us to pause and
remember. The shedding of a
tear or utterance of a
pleasant smile results from
that vivid memory or
noteworthy story.
So how do we pass on those
eternal memories, as we grow
old and age with the passing
of time? Sure, there are the
physical remnant s, the
granite monuments, the
favorite pet’s burial site,
a roadside memorial cross,
or even a peaceful and
serene scattering location
of cremains. But the
questions still lingers,
“How will the stories and
memories go on and on?”
Years ago, it was a given
fact as to the mode of
transmission. We all
participated in grandma’s
story hour next to her
spindle rocking chair, sat
on grandpa’s knee, rocked on
great uncle’s back porch
wicker swing, or took part
in Sunday afternoon family
discussions and car rides
through the countryside as
certain stories were told
over and over and over
again.
The lives of our youth are
different now and are much
more time consumed and
hurried. As for the upcoming
generation, story telling on
the back porch swing or in
front of a burning fireplace
are things of the past, as
are cemetery visits and
family reunion story hours.
What confronts us is the
emergence of the electronic
age that presents the best
opportunity to preserve the
archives of our heritage. We
as the storytellers must now
adjust, change, and adapt to
a new mode of transmission.
Photos must be digitized,
emailed, pasted,
transcribed, and forwarded
to reach the youth of today.
The stories, old 8 and 16 mm
home movies, and eternal
memories compiled into DVD
and video documentaries are
crucial if we want to
continue the tradition.
Titanium indestructible
metal medallion discs will
be encoded with text and
pictures so that history can
be scanned and downloaded
onto PDA’s and laptop
computers. Only then can the
story telling survive
another generation.
The key to capturing the
ears, eyes, and minds of
future storytellers is found
in the ability to adapt,
keep pace, and translate the
past via a new mode and
model of that old wicker
porch.
Rob Ferguson is a PA
licensed funeral director
and past president of the
Westmoreland-Indiana-Armstrong
County Funeral Directors
Association. He can be
reached at rferg@a1usa.net. |
