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ADDRESS BOOK one point in our lives , they represented new and interesting friends . For example , in Spain we had an apartment where our neighbour had a tattoo from a concentration camp .
I notice that my three grandchildren have had several address changes as they leave home , go to university , get jobs , and have new relationships . These changes will continue as their lives progress . My daughters ’ addresses have been stable but may change when they reach retirement age .
There are always the necessary and practical addresses of doctors , dentists , and specialists that are important to everyday life . And today we include phone numbers and email addresses ( new additions to address books ) of providers for recycling , window washing , lawn mowing , and snow removal . These aids would never have appeared in my earlier address books .
During a move from the United States to Canada , my address book was left behind and never located by the new occupants of our former residence . I was unable to reconnect with some people in that book . Today , with the aid of the internet , locating lost
Z names and locations is much simpler than it was during the sixties and seventies .
Because of email and school reunions , I have reconnected with some old friends . Those addresses have been added to the pages of my new address book . I have also included group members of book clubs , quilting , scrapbooking , and memoir groups .
Luckily , I have kept three of my last address books so I can sift through more memories . I now wish I had kept them all and had been able to retrieve the lost address book . For me , going through my address books is a good memory device . Since I am always searching for topics to aid my memoir groups , address books can be useful . Aldous Huxley stated that “ Every man ’ s memory is his private literature .” That is certainly true for me .
Due to the pandemic , Sharon Goerg ’ s retirement volunteer activities came to a halt in High River . She now , however , has reconnected with her memoir groups in various retirement homes . Their first topic , of course , was their reactions to and effects of the virus on their lives during these past months .
news & views WINTER 2021 | 41