Time Tripping

"Transience was my pigmentation; my roots would never go deep enough anywhere to make me a home or make secure with love."--Graham Green

My brother and I would cringe and roll our eyes every time we felt the heat of the light bar.  It invariably meant that mom or dad had been inspired to haul out the old Kodak 8mm movie camera to record some dopey birthday or holiday scene starring their sons and assorted pets and pals.  We were mortified by this intrusion into our good times and usually acted like mental patients whenever the camera was pointed our way.  This behavior often invited a swat from dad accompanied by an admonishment to "stop showing off".  Little did he know that both of us would pretty much spend the rest of our lives collecting a check for showing off.  

"I'm lovin' those socks Aunt Shirley gave me!"

As it has been with most everything our parents tried to pound into our heads, this whole business of pictures and home movies has proved to be correct.

Since mom's death I have been sorting through the many things we unearthed in her condo storage space and the nooks of boxes long forgotten on closet shelves.  The 8mm film she 

 was certain no longer existed, was there.    It was tucked away in a cardboard box deep in the stacks of other junk in storage;  the miracle is that it was still intact and usable.  

Costco, the Copper family "go to" headquarters for damn near everything from food to flicks,  is promoting a deal on slide and movie DVD conversion and it is magical.  I now have ALL of the footage shot by mom and dad condensed on four discs and am watching them in amazement.  Memories almost sixty years old are hauled onto my twenty-first century computer screen and many of them take my breath away.  Here is my brother as a baby and me already torturing him.  Our long dead grandparents, beloved dogs, childhood friends and now classic cars come back to life through the mists of time thanks to this now digitized 8mm film.  I am transfixed.  The memories whack me in the gut and often leave me laughing or, conversely, slightly wet of eye.

Many thanks mom and dad for ignoring the protests of your idiot sons and continuing to roll film on all of those occasions.  You knew what you were doing!  Two grateful sons apologize for thinking your obsession with preserving memories was stupid.  As usual, you were right.  I wish it hadn't taken me sixty years to draw that conclusion.

Young parents please note.  It has never been easier to preserve memories that will provide roses in December for you and your kids.

Lights!  Camera!  Action!