Amy, our Administrative Assistant here at SouthWest, has been diligently sorting through decades of “memorabilia” in preparation for our exhibition of the history of Verdun United/Crawford Park United and, ultimately SouthWest United Church which will commence with a wine and cheese soiree on Friday, November 15th.
We all have them. They have come to us through our parents. They are in boxes, in albums, in frames. We seldom get them out to look at them. The boxes are covered in dust and we move them, as they are, from house to house as we move on with our lives. We do not know what to do with them, yet we do not have the heart to throw them away because, somehow, they are a part of us.
Images of what was, wearing hairstyles and clothing so foreign. Yet, there is familiarity in their faces - a family resemblance, genetically passed down in a smile, or “so and so’s eyes” which you have recognized all your life, even if you have never met the person. Some of them are wearing army uniforms, faces brave and confident as they head off to the unknown. Others are holding babies who probably grew into adulthood – or not. Smiling faces of brides and grooms. People strolling along boardwalks. Ghosts of the past, yet there before our eyes.
Old photographs; what is it about them that brings on nostalgia, longing, questions? If someone took the time to name and date them, they can fill in pieces of a puzzle and give us a glimpse into our family history. They can also leave us sad and longing for times when generations lived under the same roof and we all felt connected.
As the oldest sibling, I seem to have inherited the albums and bags of loose photos left by my own parents. They are filled with faces which are anonymous, faces of colour, places unfamiliar; yet random moments in time captured and present right there in my hands.
Today, our children and grandchildren take photos with their iPhone. They post them on Facebook or Instagram. There for an instant and then gone forever into cyberspace. What legacy will they leave for their own children? How will they provide them with tangible evidence of family faces and events?
Early Christian art, beautiful in its presentation though sometimes questionable in its content, has left us with a visible legacy of our Christian heritage. An artistic interpretation of our Christian journey through the centuries. Is there any artist who is continuing such a tradition? I don’t know.
But I do believe this; unless we have clear images to help us understand from where we have come, we will have difficulty discerning where we are to go in the future.
I sincerely hope you enjoy the exhibition of SouthWest’s journey to the present!
Beryl