When I first started writing down my memories, I never imagined that would lead to compiling and sharing it on a blog. Now that it has, I wonder if such a modest beginning to reminisce on paper could evolve into a bigger project. I found the idea appealing and embraced it more and more each day. As we grow older, life becomes a “marathon” where we race against time, striving to fulfill our desires before energy, enthusiasm, and memories wane. It seemed in a sense that a feeling of urgency prompted me to go on, as regrets offer no solace.
My blog reflects on the lives of four generations in Jerusalem, spanning from the early 20th century to the present day. It is a combination of my own personal memories and the stories that my parents and grandparents passed on to me. I present it to you in the way that it comes back to my mind and can give you an idea about the historical context that shaped my ancestors’ life and mine, too.
It begins with the first generation, who my grandparents Abu and Um Michael (Michael’s parents), and neighbors Abu and Um Khalil (Khalil’s parents) represent. A generation who experienced Ottoman rule, the British Mandate, Jordanian administration, and the onset of Israeli occupation. The fourth generation is that born under the Israeli occupation. For me, as the founder of this blog, I belong to a generation between that of my grandparents and my children. I chose to call it the “Thunder Year Generation”, or the1967 Palestinian Naksa (Setback) Generation. Why “Thunder Year”? You will discover that as you read through my blog.
Presented in a simplified style, occasionally accompanied by photos from the family’s private archive, the storytelling unfolds through scattered passages delving into facets of daily life across the four generations. As a young woman, of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, and who is not a novelist, recalls narratives inspired by memories passed on to me from one generation to another. Some goes back to the early 20th century. These stories focus on the human aspects of life bridging a past disconnected from the present to a future that appears distant from today.
The blog does not claim to comprehensively depict a portrait of a life that prevailed over a century. It is a simple attempt to contribute to preserving the credibility of the Palestinian narrative throughout time. “Sowar, Raad, Ward”, (Pictures, Thunder, Flowers) is a blog that represents an effort to reclaim and fortify this narrative against ongoing distortions, paving the way for, hopefully, a more just ending. It is simply an initiative that could contribute to preserving our heritage.
Ironically, I trace back the inspiration to gather these scattered narratives to 2020, the year the pandemic swept the globe, claiming millions of lives. Sarcastically, it is a virus that was able “to knock on the tank’s wall” and motivate me to reconsider my priorities. It, in fact, taught me what to appreciate in life and to rediscover myself amidst a fast-paced, consumption-driven lifestyles that have been going on throughout the past couple of decades. In turn, this could at least enable me to offer a meaningful and valuable treasure to others before my life journey come to an end.
