Mementos
Most of us probably have some old things saved that may no longer serve a practical purpose, but that we don’t want to get rid of; whether it’s that handsome poinsettia we inherited from a relative, some yellowed childhood photos, or a long-ago cancelled passport, they can still provide something that is invaluable to us. All the memories that these things can evoke just by their mere presence are too important to me to be dismissed as something that should perhaps actually be thrown in the trash.
Even as a child, I was fascinated by the box camera that my grandparents left behind. Together with a handful of plates in a separate small box, it provided so much excitement, and for a curious little boy who was in the process of discovering the world, it could not be underestimated!
Nowadays, it adorns the piano at home and often invites curious questions and creates a spontaneous topic of conversation when we have visitors. For me, this little piece has, over the years, acquired a meaning that is so much more than the purely material – it associates not only with a bygone era, but with my own personal heritage.
One sunny day in June 1929, my grandfather held the camera and took a picture of his father. My grandfather’s two sons (my father and his younger brother) stood solemnly on either side. My Great grandfather had by this time turned 75. Born in 1854, he had already reached adulthood when electricity came to Sweden; he had turned 67 when women’s suffrage was introduced. When I saw the photo as an adult and asked my father how he remembered his grandfather, it was with a warm smile that he replied ”he was a kind and friendly person”.
Sometimes you don’t need to know much more than that about those who came before us.
