Priceless Treasure!

A couple of days ago, I found a priceless treasure. Now, normally, an almost twenty year old audiotape would not be anything special. But, this one is because it is the only recording that I know of that contains my mother's voice.

I knew that I had made this tape, and that it was around somewhere. But, I was afraid to look for it and play it because of the fear that it might break.

Thanks to the miracles of modern technology, it is now possible and economically feasible to convert analog tapes to digital files on a home PC. So, after finding a tape deck at a yard sale for $5.00 and a program that would enable such a conversion, I popped tape after tape into the tape deck in hopes that it would be THE ONE.

And, after a surprising small number of attempts, I found IT. A tape made one lazy summer day on a small paddle wheel boat on the Mississippi River. Mama and Lela, a family friend were helping me learn some songs from the WWII era. My dear friend, Elizabeth Ann, also now deceased, was playing the piano. The whole tape is filled with stories being told, spontaneous bursts of song, and laughter.

I wouldn't take a million dollars for it.

So, tonight, I am going to take the CD that I made from this precious tape to my sister's house. My 14 year old niece will be able to hear her grandmother's voice for the very first time.

And I have a feeling that I will be in tears. Tears of joy.