Elijah Wood as one of myfavorite literary characters. Of course, the movies rocked too!

My wife and I recently watched Everything Is Illuminated. An independent film based on a book by Jonathan Safron Foer and starring Elijah Wood, Wikipedia describes the book like this:

"A young American Jew, named after the author himself, journeys to the Ukraine in search of Augustine, the woman who saved his grandfather’s life during the Nazi liquidation of Trachimbrod, his family shtetl. Armed with many copies of an old photograph of Augustine and his grandfather, maps, cigarettes, and a fanny pack filled with Ziploc bags, Jonathan begins his adventure with Ukrainian native and soon-to-be good friend, Aleksandr "Alex" Perchov, who is his own age and very fond of American pop culture, albeit culture that is already out of date in the U.S."

While an apt description, in many ways it misses the point. Jonathan is looking for more than the answers to how his grandfather escaped. He's looking for meaning to his own life. Why am I here? Why do I live this life? What happened to put me in this particular place doing these particular things?

I won't spoil the book or movie for you by giving away the story, comic moments, or the ending. I will tell you that the journey is worth your time and that Jonathan's desire to capture mementos along the way struck me as profound.

What do we save today as a testament to our memories? As visual reminders of where we've been and what we do? Of people who somehow have had influence on our lives? Sometimes I wonder about the prevalence of digital photography and the disposable nature of the picture we take. Or, the cavalier nature that estate sales take with the belongings of those now gone. Or the store-bought knick knacks we place on our shelves that have no connection to the reality of the lives we've led and the people we've met.

I have my paternal grandfather's eyeglasses in a case in a drawer. I have a back and white picture of my maternal grandfather and grandmother. The carved wooden boxes my father carried home from Japan are displayed on my shelves. After awhile though, these things become only things. Until you take the time to remember that these people you loved or wished you'd known touched them and felt something about them, that may be all they ever are. Jonathan collected these kinds of things because he was afraid he might forget. I save them and hope I remember.

I will admit that I've only seen the movie and Nancy has read the book, so your interpretation may be different...

Note: Souvenirs is a favorite John Prine song of mine and can be found on several recordings. For a great collection of his work, try Great Days.