Don E. Lavender, 33°
2913 49th Street, Des Moines, Iowa 50310-2550
donlav@juno.com
You don't have to be a hero to record your
experiences and
so make them a part of history.
Painting:
"The Great Light of Freemasonry," by Brother Robert
H. White, 32°
Every life is unique. Many may have similar experiences, but
no one person is exactly the same as another. When someone dies,
all the lessons learned and all the experiences gathered go
with him; unless, of course, he has recorded that information
one way or another.
Some might conclude that they have nothing to offer and no
one would be interested. Who is to say what has appeal? I had
occasion recently to tour the restored home of a famous person.
As we viewed the setting of about a century ago, some of us
of the older generation commented about things we remembered.
The icebox reminded us of the excitement that always accompanied
the arrival of the iceman. Watching him chip away from one of
the large blocks on his wagon in order to get 25 or 50 pounds
of ice for our household was often the highlight of a hot summer
day. Many of us remembered how he always managed to leave a
few extra chips for the neighborhood kids.
Without realizing it, some of us older members on the tour
were revealing little-known facts of an earlier era. When the
tour was finished, some of the younger persons on the tour told
us how much they enjoyed hearing our comments.
Not everyone is a good writer or speaker, but everyone has
something to tell. There are so many ways to do it. I recall
visiting with an old soldier who told me he had been encouraged
to record his memoirs of the war, but he hadn't gotten around
to it. The longer he waits, the more difficult it will be as
memories do not become clearer with age. He had fought all the
way from the landings in Africa to the end of World War II and
had been promoted from Lieutenant to Commander of a battalion.
I recommended that he dictate his memories as it would be far
easier than recording them by hand since he could not type nor
use a computer.
The typewriter made recording experiences much easier than
writing by hand. Most of us think much faster than we write.
Typing reduces that margin between our thinking and recording
those thoughts. The computer makes it even easier yet, and for
those who do not have access to either one, recording might
be the answer.
Most of us know how much interest there has been about the
American Civil War and the experiences of those who fought it.
Well over a hundred years after the war, stories are still recounted
and well received. It makes no difference that most of us are
not able to claim an ancestor who was involved.
Military experience is not the only area of interest. We tend
to think of that because so many of our World War II generation
are dying every day. Travel, adventure, and business experiences
also have appeal. I had an uncle who had homesteaded in the
West. He is gone now, but he wrote his experiences in poetry,
a literary form not easily available to most of us. His tales
probably would have been just as interesting in prose. Most
of those old homesteaders have passed on now, but their stories
have general appeal.
You may believe you don't have much to tell. Let those who
may read or hear your accounts be the judge of that. You do
not have to be an astronaut, a sports hero, or an intellectual
giant to have experiences that are interesting and worth sharing.
Every week on TV, a program broadcast in Des Moines features
stories from persons selected at random. If contacted prior
to those interviews, some of them would have questioned what
they could offer of interest. Yet invariably what they share
is fascinating.
Whatever your age or experience, record it somehow, if only
for the immediate benefit of your family. Your descendents will
have a special interest in your recollections, but others may
find they have appeal as well. If you don't do it, all of those
experiences and precious memories will be lost with your passing.
You are a part of history. Record it.
|
Donald E.
Lavender
is a former Secretary Registrar (1974-1979) of the Des Moines,
Iowa, Scottish Rite Bodies. He is retired from the City
of Des Moines Engineering Department and enjoys the hobbies
of instrumental music and photography. |
