Kazhira, the Weeping Queen from "Parizade's Quest" Recently, I heard this line from my daughter as she was attempting to explain to her children some important events that happened previous to when they joined the family. She began, "In the time before remembering..." Now that line is every bit as good as "Once upon a time..." or "Long ago and far away..." don't you think? It sets the tone for a timeless tale. Don't know if it has been borrowed from some fantasy novel or not, but I intend to use it sometime, somewhere for some title. It is THAT good!
Don't we all feel as we go through life, that we have forgotten key elements of our history. My teachers always told me that I should keep a journal of the important events in my day to day life. My problem was that as I was living those events, I couldn't tell if what I was going through was an important event or not. And then, after time went by, I didn't really remember the details of the events as I became aware that they were actually very important. Seems that only with hindsight do we discover the meaning we should attach to events in our day to day lives. And then those days truly become "the times before remembering."
Fortunately, for me at least, I have family and friends who share enough of my life to help fill in the gaps when I forget details of the past. My sister has a good memory for people, places, and events and somehow remembers random facts from my life, too. And then, I tend to leave "breadcrumbs" strewn behind me. You know, the scribbles in notebooks or margins of papers that provide dates of past appointments, rehearsal times and locations, performances, etc. to help me remember what I was doing back then and when I did them. Eventually, when I get around to emptying out my purse, the excavations reveal a lot of archaeological evidences and clues to historical dates. If I was wise, I could make a record from those sources. I also do enough work on the computer to document many of the things I do and the computer furnishes a date for most of those activities.
But, no matter the mixed-up details of my own life, the line "In the time before remembering..." seems to open up a timeless tale. At this time, however, I just don't remember what that tale might be.
A song from "Parizade's Quest" comes to mind, though. It is sung by the weeping Queen Kazhira as she remembers the loss of her three beautiful babies. "By Morning's Light" is probably the saddest song I ever wrote for a Children's Musical. But it sets up the story of how a Family is reunited and all ends well. The Queen wishes she had something happy to remember. It is a time before her current reality, "in the time before remembering..."
Don't we all feel as we go through life, that we have forgotten key elements of our history. My teachers always told me that I should keep a journal of the important events in my day to day life. My problem was that as I was living those events, I couldn't tell if what I was going through was an important event or not. And then, after time went by, I didn't really remember the details of the events as I became aware that they were actually very important. Seems that only with hindsight do we discover the meaning we should attach to events in our day to day lives. And then those days truly become "the times before remembering."
Fortunately, for me at least, I have family and friends who share enough of my life to help fill in the gaps when I forget details of the past. My sister has a good memory for people, places, and events and somehow remembers random facts from my life, too. And then, I tend to leave "breadcrumbs" strewn behind me. You know, the scribbles in notebooks or margins of papers that provide dates of past appointments, rehearsal times and locations, performances, etc. to help me remember what I was doing back then and when I did them. Eventually, when I get around to emptying out my purse, the excavations reveal a lot of archaeological evidences and clues to historical dates. If I was wise, I could make a record from those sources. I also do enough work on the computer to document many of the things I do and the computer furnishes a date for most of those activities.
But, no matter the mixed-up details of my own life, the line "In the time before remembering..." seems to open up a timeless tale. At this time, however, I just don't remember what that tale might be.
A song from "Parizade's Quest" comes to mind, though. It is sung by the weeping Queen Kazhira as she remembers the loss of her three beautiful babies. "By Morning's Light" is probably the saddest song I ever wrote for a Children's Musical. But it sets up the story of how a Family is reunited and all ends well. The Queen wishes she had something happy to remember. It is a time before her current reality, "in the time before remembering..."
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