Holding on to History

We took a walking tour of our city yesterday, Historic Downtown Torrance. It was hosted by the Historical Society and offered some very interesting little known facts about the place where my husband and I were both born and raised. We started off by browsing through the museum, which houses plenty of black and white photos of the open area where we now live. There are also many nostalgic artifacts, like the old high school band uniforms and some of the original railroad spikes.

It wasn't until later in the evening when it struck me how common it is for our cities and towns to hang onto historical items. Most cities do have some type of historical society or preservation group. It seems that many people, including myself, really value being able to look back at what life was like and see where we've come from. They feel it is important to have a physical tie to a past time and place.

I think that what we're doing with The Shining Light Fund is very similar to this concept. We are offering people a chance to have something that represents a member of the family and their place in history. It's not representing a place but rather, a life. How strange that there are so many who don't value the origin of that life as much as they value the origin of their hometown.

Much like each original high school, church and town hall have a strong impact on the development of a city, each life, long or short, helps shape and mold the lives of their loved ones and our world is changed because of it.

Thanks for listening.