Getting back to what really matters

Sometimes, a feature story has an odd effect upon me as the writer. That was true with this month's story on Legacy Letters, historically known as Ethical Wills. It's not that the story compelled me to put pen to paper and write a missive to my now eight-year-old son. But it did make me think a lot about my family, and what I now wish I'd asked my grandparents, or even my dad, when they were still alive. We all have holes in our understanding of who we are and where we came from, even why we insist upon doing something the way we do. (Have you ever heard a relative say that "we always do it this way" in reference to a step in a recipe, a way of folding a whichamajig, or performing some other seemingly innocuous task and wondered why?) Perhaps the silver lining in the current global turmoil is that it's going to make us think more about our families, our personal histories and maybe, prompt us to ask those questions of our elders that will help fill in those holes. This year, when somebody at the holiday table starts telling one of those tales from way back when, it might be a good idea to just keep the videocamera rolling. They may roll their eyes at the boring retelling of a familiar story, but I have a feeling your kids and grandkids will appreciate your effort in the not-too-distant future. Happy (belated) Birthday to Us! My sales manager, Terry, was on vacation when we wrapped the October issue of PRIME, and, upon seeing the issue, pointed out a big mea culpa to me. I completely forgot to mention our anniversary last month! PRIME was founded as Senior Prime Times by Reminder Publications founder, Carlo Buendo in 1992. That makes us 16 years old this year! We've gone through many changes, including several name revisions, over the years. But I hope we've never forgotten you, our readers. You're the reason we publish every month. Thanks for being loyal to PRIME! Debbie Gardner PRIME Editor 280 North Main St. East Longmeadow, MA 01028 dgardner@reminderpublications.com