G.G. is Grandma Ginny to my daughter; to others, she is the Great Virginia Huschke. 20 years ago, though not of blood relation, she and my five-year-old Jenny clicked like two cozy peas in a pod. Spending almost every childhood summer in San Diego with her American, designated grandmother, my daughter’s journey toward herself began early.
One of the things Jenny has carried over from G.G., a thought that seems to reign stronger in her mind these days, is the idea of giving back. When she graduated from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, she took the huge step across the ocean into China, to see if she could do just that. Since then, my daughter has proved that she is a creative intellectual who is working toward enabling her generation to understand the business and cultural differences between the States and China. She calls G.G. every Thursday, and the two catch up on lives that have changed tremendously over the past two decades.
The other day, Jenny called me with an idea: “Let’s preserve G.G.!” I am not a glossary, but I do know that protect, safeguard, uphold, maintain, carry on, continue, keep, care for – they all are a form of preservation.
“Anything about G.G. should be preserved. We need to get down on paper her lifetime stories, her projects, the people she’s helped, everything!” Jenny was excited. “Since she’s getting ready to move to a retirement home, she’s trying to figure out what to do with all the artwork in her house; plus, she has tons of photos, videos, and lots of other G.G. treasures.” Before she finished, a light bulb went off in my head. A little while ago, my friend Christine’s son and his friends started a company called iPreserve in New York City. They offer a service that digitizes old photos, films and slides that allow you to preserve and pass on your precious memories. They have a great idea, because as new generations get further entwined into technology, it becomes harder and harder to manage and maintain hundreds of hard copy photos and albums stored and stacked in boxes. Popping a DVD into a computer or player is much easier. Also, iPreserve stores digital copies for their clients, so in case something accidentally happens to them, they will always be safe and accessible. Visit their website, www.ipreserve.com to support this good idea!
Anyway, in about a week, I will be making my way to San Diego to visit G.G. and begin my daughter’s idea of preservation!
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