Backward-Glances to Remember

Wigfield Farm House

This is the home page for Backward Glances. It is the starting point for a destination to remember and reflect on the past. It seems that the past is sometimes easier to reminisce about what we did yesterday than an hour ago. So why am I doing this? I want to share what my family is doing to preserve as many of the memories we can. When we’re together we tell stories. Some of the favorites are worn out and need a new audience. Some are not so used because they’ve been hidden in the deep, deep part of my brain.

My sister, Carol, put together a memory book for my mother’s family. It was such a joy to Mom. She delighted in sharing it with her friends and they, in turn, would share their family stories with her. We have now embarked on a memory book for my father’s family. Our grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles have passed away leaving the details of their lives mostly unrecorded. All we have are pictures, memorabilia and our limited memories of the times we were together.

I remember one entire evening spent with my sister and cousin, Dorothy,going through a barrel of old pictures and documents. The memories they sparked were funny and brought such warm feelings. Between 1937 and 1947 there were 5 children born on the farm. My cousin was the oldest, my brother the youngest. Listening to their memories gave me a new perspective of how life on the farm was different for all of us.

Do we have to discuss this now?

I had made greeting cards and postcards out of several pictures used in my pages.   I hope they make you smile and you share them with your friends and family.  I have also used some of my original watercolor paintings.  Check them out and please send any comments you have.

If you haven’t explored your roots and haven’t pulled any ghosts out of the closets recently, I’m hoping you will return frequently to Backward Glances to read the new posts. Just think of it as a Midwest farm soap opera that includes pictures, stories and memories that started in 1938 when an woman purchased 640 acres for a summer home.