Karl's Nostalgic Papers

Day 200: Karl's Nostalgic Papers

Pictures of Karl with Senga Carroll,
whose name is almost the opposite of his

I found an envelope full of my brother Karl's nostalgic papers in the same box as my own, equally musty and yellow. I considered depositing them directly into the recycling bin, thereby saving him the pangs (and asthma attack) of going through it himself. In the end, though, I decided that it's just not right to get rid of somebody else's stuff.

I couldn't resist taking a peek through it. Amazing how much more fun it is to look at your brother's memorabilia than it is to look at your own. My favorite was a stack of pictures of himself with Senga Carroll, the girl with the opposite name. If they had married, she might have been Senga Sikkenga. Or, he could have been Karl Carroll. 

Even these few snapshots are so seventies. The wide ties. The Farrah Fawcett 'do. My brother is hardly recognizable, with his slight build, smooth cheeks and full head of hair.  And yet, of course it's him.

His commencement booklet is modest compared to the one Emma got at the same school, 28 years later. Part of the escalation of acquisition that results in so much waste. No full page spread for each kid, just a long list with a few asterisks and footnotes to show who's on the honor roll and who got a varsity letter. A couple newspaper articles about his soccer team that make me nostalgic for the old Ann arbor News, back when it was a small town rag.

Here's hoping Karl has a happy walk down memory lane. I sure enjoyed it.