Oh the Treasures You'll Find!

Unless you've just recently bought a house, or are compulsively tidy, there's a good chance that your house is filled with as much stuff as mine is. Of course, my family has only been in this house for about twenty years, which isn't a lot when you think of homes that pass down through generations and generations. Anyway, if you've got
lots of stuff and are fond of nostalgia, as I have and am, then packing up to move can be quite a delightful experience, if somewhat of a chore.
Today we found a cane belonging to my great-grandfather. The handle of the cane was inscribed with his name and the year- 1920!
I was also able to take out my three most precious posessions: three vintage suitcases. One of them is an "Amelia Aerheart" brand suitcase. Another of them has travel decals from when the White Star Line still existed.
It's incredible to be able to hold something that has lived through so much. The stories these objects could tell!

I promise I will put up pictures for this and other articles that are missing them
either tomorrow or Wednesday... Something else I found in packing today:
the USB cable for my digital camera!

I hope your next move is as interesting as mine.
Nostalgically Yours

Haiti Hitting Close to Home...

Though I by no means wish to make my situation seem even remotely as bad as those down on Hispaniola, the earthquake in Haiti struck a nerve very close to my heart. Both my father and mother work for the State Department, and both of my parents have recently taken assignments to Port-au-Prince. My father moved there in October and my mother planned to go down this summer with my little sister, Marie. I can only be thankful that my dad was back here in the US visiting me over Christmas when the quake hit. The house where my mother was going to live is now in ruins, as is their future in Haiti. My father has been working on a task force in DC for the past week - I'm not complaining, he's doing very good work.

I guess I just don't know how I feel about all of this. My entire family could have died in that quake. I could be an orphan right now... All I know now is that clearly they were meant to be helping the people of Haiti. I want to go and help but I don't know when or how that will happen.

It's also really made me think about living in a city like San Francisco, where an earthquake like the one in Haiti is a serious possibility. What would I do in a situation like that? I don't mean in terms of behavior during the earthquake, that sort of thing I know, it's more in terms of the aftermath. Would my school be intact? Would I be going to classes? Would I move back to VA with my mother? Would I stay in SF and help clear the rubble or pass out food? Would I even be alive? Would my friends?

It's a lot to think about.


Nostalgically Yours