Thursday Thoughts

Today I'm thinking about...


...life. And family. And memories. Recently, my mother asked me to go through all her photo albums and scrapbooks for her. She wants to share the photos of her life and family with her daughters, and felt overwhelmed by the task. I told her I would be happy to, and assured her that I would take great care in going through the photos documenting her amazing life.

Each day, I sit at the table and sort through a lifetime of memories...baby pictures, family gatherings, high school dances...random snapshots from everyday life lived years ago in a different time and place. Many of the photos are black and white, some yellowed with age. They provide a peek into a life lived long before I was even thought of. There are photos of people my mother talks about with love...people who were a part of her life...her parents and grandparents...her sister and her brothers and her friends. There are photos of my father and her smiling before they head out to the prom. I am fascinated studying these faces and events. I am cherishing the time spent on actually looking at and seeing the people who meant so much to my mother and father. Their lives were full of people and places long before they were parents and grandparents. And these pictures tell that story. I want to be sure their stories are not lost. Ever.

And so I carefully remove the pictures from the albums. As I do, I think about the people in each one. I think about what I know of their lives. And how much I don't. I make piles. One for myself and one for each of my sisters. I make an extra pile. In this pile I put photos of people I want to know more about. Someday I will sit down with my mother and listen as she tells me about each one. I will make notes on the back so that I can share the stories of these amazing people with my sisters and my children. These are people who were a part of my parents' lives. And a part of mine and of my children. Their lives and stories should not be confined to pages in an album. They should be remembered and displayed and shared. Just as I hope ours will someday in a different place and time.

Here are some of the photos of everyday moments in our lives that perhaps someone will look at years from now and know how we spent our winter days...

We ventured out onto the porch for a glimpse of a beautiful evening snowfall...

and it was sooo peaceful.

I ironed some pink dresses while dreaming of spring. : )

We celebrated Chinese New Year...

with take out and chopsticks.

I took a coffee break with some yummy cherry coffee cake. Recipe here.

Sooo good. : )

We braved the cold for Mass...

and brunch afterward. At Wendy's. Flynn's choice. : )

And just in case someone, someday was wondering...this is me.

Daughter of William and Margaret.

Sister of Mary Theresa, Scarlett, Ann Margaret, and Angel.

Wife of Steve.

Mother to Madison, Peyton, Rhett, and Flynn.

And blessed beyond measure.

Have a wonderful weekend, my friends!