Born an Archivist?

Last weekend I attended a memorial in Houston for my Uncle John who passed in November. It was a beautiful tribute to a kind man who cared for everyone he encountered. There were almost 200 people in attendance and I was related to around 30 people. Sisters, cousins, second cousins once removed, aunts and uncles, nieces, nephews and niblings1; blood relatives and those who married into the family. I use the term family broadly to encompass all the people connected to the family, including my cousin’s husband’s father.

I have a deep and powerful need document the people at a gathering like this. From weddings to memorials to a family picnic, we live all over the country and do not gather all together often. I feel it is imperative, however annoying, that we take a photo of the whole group. We hired a professional photographer to take a family picture at my grandfather’s memorial when we all gathered in Seattle years ago. The children in that photo are now in high school and college. The baby’s are now in middle school.

On Saturday my cousin Chris joked that of course I wanted to make sure there was a family photo, because I am an archivist. It got me thinking about this drive I have and that it predates my professional work. I have always known in my core that certain stuff should be documented and saved. I wrote in an earlier post about the around 15 hours of cassette tape conversations I had with my grandmother when I graduated from college. I was 22 and she was 80. I still listen to them and learn. The impact at 22 is different than the impact in my fifties.

I knew that it would be important to record her stories while her mind was still sharper than mine. How did my 22 year old self know that? I think it has something to do with a deep understanding of how family stories connect us to each other and help us identify where we belong. I believe that is why archives are important. They teach us about belonging and connection over time and with people we think are strangers. It is powerful to learn that someone 100 years ago shared the same perspective on family or recipes or justice. That connection makes us feel less alone and a part of something bigger than ourselves.

So maybe I was born an archivist or maybe it is a profession that only enhances my natural drive to connect. I am not sure it matters as long as the family photos get taken and the stories are saved and passed on to future generations.

BuyMeACoffee or one time support

There will be no audio version this time because I picked up a cold on this trip.