As Stephen and I come upon the celebration of two years of marriage I have been pondering how little time I have spent documenting this wonderful journey God has given us together. Our life story is so brief upon the earth and it is horribly easy to let it slip away without capturing the essence of our minute role in the metanarrative. I have attempted numerous blogs before. Part of my inhibition lies in the fear that something technological can become lost and irreparably forgotten. However, this fear does not motivate me to create a paper trail that can be burned or thrown out equally as easily. I have kept a blog since I was 16 and all of those entries are thankfully still here. Therefore I am taking a risk and leaving our mark on the world via blogger. If I can successfully maintain it as I would like, I will also print my entries out as I go.
Not only does September mark the anniversary of our marriage, but this year (2015) it also holds the momentous occasion of the birth of our daughter, Aria. With hopefully less than a month until her arrival, nesting hormones have kicked in full-swing. An unpredictable future can put many things in perspective when a new life is added to the equation. Time is fickle; however what you do with the time given can impact every life left behind when your story is over. I do not know how many years God has numbered for me; however, I know that each moment he has given me with Stephen is a priceless gift. I want our daughter, and any other child that comes along to have those memories preserved in some way. They are weaved into the network of her existence. Some day when she questions her place in this world, she must have a ground to stand on, a history to embrace, a reminder of God's promises always being fulfilled both to her and to the many generations before her. How can I give this to her?
When we started dating at 17, I spent an entire summer reading Stephen the Harry Potter series. Growing up with Harry Potter has an element of magic in it that transcends words on a page. Only those who have read the series as children can fully understand what I mean. Possibly one of three make or break moments in our relationship, was the discovery that he had never read them and could therefore never fully comprehend me. There was only one thing to do. A season full of beach days, hammock snuggles, and passenger seat commitment to engrossing Stephen in Rowling's magical world made us both fall deeper in love with the story and each other. Reading together is something we have since nurtured throughout our relationship, deepening our roots to the rest of humanity, travelling to other worlds together and exploring each other's minds in the process. Not only do I consider our love a story that is constantly taking shape as we journey through life together, but I recognize that our story is only a sentence in the masterpiece of God's creation. Reading, writing, and living out stories reflects our being made in His image.
But, the mind, though beautiful and intricate, is also limited by time and space. In musing over these things I was brought to wishing I owned a pensieve, Dumbledore's magical instrument used to store his thoughts and memories, as well as a collection of other people's thoughts and memories. I daydreamed of a silver basin in our home with swirling memories from our family's past that our children could dip their heads in and visit or revisit. What if our children could watch us fall in love in Mexico? What if they could stand in a pew as we said our vows on our wedding day? What if Aria could sit beside Stephen and I as we giddily oggled a positive pregnancy test in our living room? What other tiny moments have gotten lost in the fog of our minds as age and more momentous occasions have crowded out the little things they will never see or hear about? Unfortunately pensieves don't exist...but we muggles can get close enough with photos and taking the time that we have to remember and document. Dumbledore himself said, "Words are, in my not-so-humble opinion, our most inexhaustible source of magic. Capable of both inflicting injury, and remedying it."
Therefore without further ado, I introduce the Scarnato pensieve, my attempt at recreating magic for my husband and children and preserving our memories as they happen. It is also our way of sharing with only those who want to be kept updated. This blog is mainly for our family, however we are delighted by friends who would like to join us on the adventure. I prefer this venue to facebook and other similar media, and will therefore be limiting my posts on those. Thanks for stopping by!
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