Past to future
.revised 5 July 2021
Over the past few years, I have been mulling over the significance of history, war, and the ravages of time. Quite the happy thoughts I know.
I suppose this stream of consciousness was initiated by my review of some photos from my mother’s family church in Zeyer, Westpreussen, in what is today Poland. Then today an Internet friend sent an article from today’s Elbląg, Poland (what used to be Elbing, West Prussia, Germany) regarding their German past.
Here are the photos and articles that prompt my thoughts.
The first sets of photos focus on the Zeyer Evangelische Kirche- Zeyer Lutheran Church as well as the former village of Zeyer. These are photos which emphasize what the community, church, and graveyard where more than 200 years of my forebears lived, loved, were baptized, married and buried.
Next are a set of images showing Elbing’s transition to Elbląg (this is the city where my mother attended High School and is home to a very dear Polish friend and his family).
These next links will take you to some images and postings on German graves recently unearthed in Elbląg/Elbing.
All of this brings to my mind the importance of understanding. Understanding history, perspective, motivation and the passage of time. Each of these factors have a significant impact on who we are, who are forebears were, where we came from, and how we perceive our surroundings. Nothing is static. Societal artifices and institutions which seem permanent are not; they are transient. Place, home, family, and even our burial are dynamic and evolving.
I guess the bottom line is we never really are; but rather, we are always becoming. As living sentient beings we can chose what, we can even chose who, we allow ourselves to become. And I suppose, we are best when we remember that life is a journey from our collective past into our shared future.
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