The Beginning

In a snapshot taken more than a decade ago, my grandmother and I pose beneath a tree, probably in the backyard of her Palo Alto home. I like this photo a lot, even though I look borderline sulky and her smile is only half-formed. Perhaps it's the soft light, and the way our bodies slump together comfortably. I remember plenty of that dark, warm sunlight from my childhood visits to my grandparents' home.

"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness." Genesis 1:1-4, via KJV Online.

Archiving my grandmother's writing is going to be a difficult undertaking. For one thing, there's plenty of it! Even the relatively simple task of typing up the hard copies is somewhat daunting: legible handwriting doesn't run in the Mann family. (Thankfully, some of her work was produced or copied on a typewriter.) Despite these factors, the mechanics of the project don't worry me much. Rather, I am scared that I will disappoint my father and fail to properly honor my grandmother. That there will be too much of me and not enough of her. (After all, look at this first entry!)

I must constantly remind myself: Not trying is a guarantee of failure. Make the attempt.