Where Did It Go,Anyway?

Yesterday, seven of us sat around my mother’s cherry wood dining table for lunch after church. I was blessed to have Dawn’s parents, Louie and Angie, join us. I believe that communication goes well with food so we were talking about this and that and someone mentioned listening to speakers and taking notes. I commented that once upon a time, in the dim long ago, I used Gregg shorthand to take notes when I listened to a sermon, a politician, or a publisher. Children in today’s schools aren’t taught shorthand, are they? Now, I suppose much more sophisticated methods are used in courtrooms, by secretaries whose bosses dictate a letter, or whatever. One thing is certain, though, once a person really learns how to write shorthand, she never forgets. At least, this person never has. It’s fun to know that the words “it is” are represented by a short mark slanted to the right with a little squiggle at the top. And, if a person ever wanted to write a secret message, shorthand would be the way!

So, when did shorthand slip away? Quite a few years ago, I’m sure. I didn’t realize it was gone until it was no longer there. Sometimes, in this fast-paced generation, new tools and methods of communication come into use so quickly and become commonplace, that I feel rather like someone in a whirlwind.

I had a scary thought as I was considering the demise of Gregg shorthand. What if our freedoms slip away so quietly that nobody notices until one day we realize they are gone? How about my freedom of speech, of religion, of being able to bear arms?

Getting back to shorthand–perhaps it is as obsolete as the wood-burning cook stove, but Mr. Gregg’s method of writing will be with me forever. My business teachers in high school and college did a good job of grooving it into my mind. It is fun to use, at odd moments, when I want to quickly jot down a thought as I listen to a speaker, before that thought escapes me. As for my freedoms–I don’t want them ever to be in the “remembered” category.  Some things are far too important to be categorized as out-dated or not needed. Some things we must never let go.