Daily Shoot: Sunday challenge: Make a photograph with a photograph. Find a cherished print and compose it in a larger scene.
My mother's mother was married twice. This is a photograph of her with her second husband, my grandfather. Hanging on the photograph is a locket with photographs of her son from her first marriage and my grandfather as a much younger man. The locket was given to my grandmother by my grandfather when they became engaged. My cousin gave it to me when I became engaged. She also gave me the pin that is resting on the frame - you can see my grandmother wearing it in the photograph.
It is a privilege to be the caretaker of this piece of my family's history with photographic proof which records it.
On my children's birthdays, they get to choose the restaurant for a family dinner. My daughter, ever sentimental, chooses Gibbys (click if you want to know the history of the building) because we always went their with my father for her birthday. Gibbys is located in what used to be the stables in a complex that served the Grey Nuns. Part of the structure dates to the 17th century and part the 18th.
Inside the ceilings are fairly low, with large wooden beams. The inside walls are stone. The restaurant is known for steak, with sizable portions. So good to be together as a family which is not easy to arrange with varying work schedules and family members living out of town. We only celebrated three weeks late this year.
A plant is sometimes so much more than a plant. It holds a history, has a past. My mother loved plants. This leaf has a direct line to her and to my past. As her dieffenbachia got leggy, she would chop the stem and re-root the pieces to create new plants. All her family and friends had cuttings from her plants.
I continue her example, nurturing plants, making cuttings when I can and sharing with friends and family. We pass on genes, but we pass on family and friendship in so many other ways.
Holidays bring family together. Tonight we were eleven for dinner. Along with the immediate family there was my nephew who came in from Ottawa just for the evening. My wonderful 91 year old cousin was here. Our grandmother had been married twice. Her mother was the oldest from the first marriage; my mother was from the second marriage. She and my mother were only four years apart. Although our ages are quite different, our relationship is very close. She tells wonderful stories and brings a sense of history to the table. She is a connection to my mother long ago in Russia. Her son and friend joined us from Boston. Another cousin was here - we are distant in terms of the way we are related, but close in terms of our feelings. It is not blood or close family ties that makes a family. Both our mothers came over "on the boat" together. We share history, travels, and many life events.
The family shrinks and grows. While at this time and always, we miss those who are gone, our family is enriched by those who now share our holiday meals - those new relations and relationships that are now family. The warmth we share, the caring for each others' lives, the shared laughter and tears - that is what makes family!
