1996

For the most part, I am not one to look backward in my life. I live in the present, don't think more than I must about the future either. I like to have life surprise me-- which when you don't plan ahead happens fairly often.

When I began this particular blog, I didn't plan for it to amount to more than a few words and a photograph from 1996. For no particular reason, other than seeing a 1996 picture that for fun Ray had posted on his blog, My Life, I had decided to find a picture from that year to post in my blog.

As I tried to remember what the heck I had been doing in 1996, I googled to find out what was going on in the world that year. I have included only the events I remember and which still seem significant today-- although I admit I had totally forgotten they happened that year.

US Unabomber arrested in Montana.

Britain alarmed by outbreak of 'mad cow' disease.

Netanyahu elected Israeli prime minister.

Militant Taliban leaders seize Afghan capital of Kabul. Iraqis strike at Kurdish enclave. After a warning, US attacks Iraq's southern air defenses. US Military barracks are bombed in Saudi Arabia killing 19.

Flight 800 from New York crashes killing all aboard. There were other plane crashes that year but about this one, questions still remain as to why.

Olympic Park bombing kills one person. Wrong man accused with real bomber not to be found for some years.

Port Arthur massacre in Hobart Australia when lone gunman killed 34 people on an 18-hour spree in Tasmania.

Dole is defeated for US presidency as Clinton and Gore win second term.

O.J. Simpson trial begins when he is charged with murder.

Prince Charles and Diana are divorced.

Without my photograph album with dates (which I stopped compiling in '97 and will be out of luck if this comes up again), I doubt I could have put together what 1996 meant to my life. I looked to see if I had a journal for that period but I go in spurts on keeping one and don't write down daily events even when I do-- more like emotions.

So 1996 was a continuation of a health problem I had begun experiencing a year or so before. Sporadically I had been suffering bad abdominal pains, fevers, sickness that would lay me low for a week, requiring antibiotics to get better. I not only had no idea when an attack would come, but also the doctors weren't sure why it was happening. 1997 finally led to more extensive tests, a hysterectomy, and the end of the problems.

In 1996, my family saw the death of my husband's father. He was 92, had had a short but very difficult illness making his death a release. There was a family gathering to recognize the man he had been. He was giving, loving, self-educated, intelligent, wry, led an interesting life, was a good man, father, husband, and grandfather.

My two children were happily in relationships with partners who we liked (still like) very much. They were all well, but one couple had moved to Georgia, a long way from home, and one of those things no parent likes. They were happy though and that's the biggie.

In 1996, I had left formal religion (after 32 years), still had a Bible study which was an unaffiliated, small group home church, but had begun to open myself to new ideas and broader spiritual explorations.

Until I did this search back through photos, I didn't remember it was the year I got online and made some of the good friends I still have.

1996 saw my husband and I on our first big vacation to Arizona without our kids. We hiked places we had never been in the Sedona area and Southern Arizona. When I got home, I wanted to share the experience with others. As I look back on what I wrote-- which became a small booklet, using photographs, describing what I saw, the things I learned-- it was my first blog other than how it was shared, which was passed around at the retirement center rather than online.

These scanned photos, sprinkled throughout, are from Oregon and Arizona, dinner with friends, and other than being from 1996 are in no chronological order. The Elegant Trogan is from southern Arizona, the petroglyphs from the Sedona area. On the hike where we photographed them, I also came the closest I ever want to be to that Mohave rattlesnake but that's another story.

It would be fun to have some of you, who read my blog, post your own photos of you in 1996. If you do, please put a link in comments here. If you don't have a blog but would like to share a 1996 picture, email me, and I'll put it here. Parapluie doesn't have to as she was at the party above. I actually had another of her from a dinner party later in the year but she'd kill me if I used that one since she was chewing as the camera clicked. (Only maybe of interest to me, this was the last full year to see my natural hair color until 2006 when I quit coloring.)

When I began this, 1996 didn't seem like an important year in my life, but as I saw what I had done, the changes that came along, I came to see it was a transitional year. Maybe all years are more significant than we think-- when we take some time to examine them from a distance. It is then that we can see the patterns and how what didn't seem like much actually was.