As we end the 34th year of Friday Reflection and 14th year on internet.
Points to Ponder: Childhood Memories
Reflection: by Analisa (written in the year 2007)
Friday Reflections began when I was a little girl growing up in the heart of Silicon Valley. Every Friday, after dinner; my father, mother, brother and I would pile into our beat up, light yellow, 1983 Volvo to go for our weekly rides. During these rides, which would last about an hour, my father would regale us with all sorts of intriguing stories. Always, there was a little touch of humor, but there was also something a little more: a lesson to be learned. The stories were almost always from his childhood or his current life in the high tech world. My father told these stories in such a casual way that my brother and I never felt like we were in school being lectured; we just enjoyed listening to stories.
These drives continued for years and years. No matter how long my father had worked through the week, he always had enough energy to take us out on those magical Friday night rides. My father is a great storyteller. Even to this day, he can tell a story with people so intrigued from beginning to end. We loved those stories and thought he was a fun dad.
Time passed till my brother and I reached our teenage years. The time we spent at home grew less; and the ability to get all four of us together on a Friday night, even any night, was nearly impossible. Eventually, my brother and I left for college and the stories stopped completely. We had started our own journeys into the world.
One Friday night, before I headed out the door with some friends, I logged into my email account. An email awaited in my inbox. It read: Friday Reflections. It was from my father. I opened it up; and there was one of his stories told in an email, just as if I were a little girl again sitting in the backseat of a 1983 light yellow Volvo listening intently to her dad.
By 2004, Friday Reflections was being distributed to hundreds of friends over the world. In 2007, my brother Rajiv, our friend Neil, and I embarked on making these stories available to others through World Wide Web and The Book.
We only hope you enjoy reading these stories as much as my brother, I and many friends have through the years.
Story Line by Anand: On a few occasions I have been asked how I have so many stories to share. Once two colleagues asked that very same thing. Interestingly in a half an hour conversation with them, they had shared a few stories of their own that could be Friday Reflection entries of their own. I pointed this idea out to them. I enjoy reflecting after a satisfactory encounter with any person, place or new learning experience. Almost every day I get a new story from meeting people, reading or witnessing something or with a new experience. My greatest joy is in being able to recall these experience and share them with others. Every life has a story. Don’t be afraid to share! Because as I have quoted many times before, “Things that are given away are never lost.”
Loved it Anand . Made me nostalgic of my own childhood and a desire to gift such happy times to my own family today
Posted by: Neighbourhood friend (NN) | July 26, 2019 at 10:24 AM
I m new to FR, and this is news to me that this endeavour which has been ur 3rd child has grown 34 years old! It is in itself a successful story of love, dedication and the enthusiasm to share meaningful stories as well as insightful reflections all over the world!
I feel thankful to u, as well as to Analisa for putting in this post with the endearing innocence of a little girl, and Rajiv for contributing insightful reflections occasionally.
Looking forward to continuing enrichment on this journey together! :))
Posted by: sujat | July 26, 2019 at 09:04 PM
That's what storytellers do. We restore order with imagination. We instill hope again and again. - Walt Disney
P.S. What a Cool Dad ;)
Posted by: Humble Warrior | July 27, 2019 at 06:30 AM
👍👍, you indeed are a very good story teller
Posted by: SJ | July 27, 2019 at 07:59 AM
Thank you for sharing so much of yourself, your life, and your joy!
Posted by: Friend | July 27, 2019 at 10:05 AM