February 26, 2015

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!






14 comments:

  1. You are blessed to have the pictures and your Mom to share them with you. I was an only child and my parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles are all deceased and I have no one to ask who or what something is in the past. Enjoyed your pictures this morning too!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Great post and love the pictures!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hello dear friend! What a lovely post, and what a gracious and sweet project you're doing for your mother. I love how pictures tell our stories, probably one of the reasons why I'm such a big fan of Instagram. Enjoy this beautiful snow day with your family… I'm blessed to call you friend!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I have always wanted to make a family tree book for all my kids so they know where they come from also. Family is so very important...you make that very apparent in your posts. Your family is blessed to have you for a daughter, sister, wife and mother...GREAT selfie!

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a treasure to have all of those photos from the past. I'm sure going through them all is a big task, but obviously one that has brought you much joy. Enjoy the time with your mother.
    That's a great picture of you...so pretty, Billie Jo. And that Flynn...what a doll. Love her church coat.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I love Flynn's church coat! What a great blessing to be able to review your family history. Do you have a scanner? You should scan all the pictures in so that they can be preserved and anyone who wants one can have a copy. I know that it loses some of the magic not holding the actual picture but it sure does give the piece of mind that they won't be lost.

    ReplyDelete
  7. So very lovely! What a nice thing you are doing for your mom.

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a treasure that you are doing that for your mom! My mom passed away quite suddenly from breast cancer last year and how I wish I had something similar for my sisters and me as well as for our own children so that they could know more about their wonderful Grandma in heaven!

    Flynn's coat is so sweet. Growing up, we always had a Rothschild coat for Sundays and holidays. :)

    ReplyDelete
  9. And friend of so so many! We are blessed to be a part of your life Billie Jo! I loved reading this post and am so glad that you're taking on the task of going through those photos. It sure is a blessing to see all of those every day moments... treasured moments your Mom had. Enjoy all of the photos... and share a few with us if you can! Happy almost weekend! PS... bet your house is all green and sparkly.

    ReplyDelete
  10. AND friends you haven'the even met in person...a ton! You put so mugh special into all you do even the smallest of details! You are beautiful! Loved this.

    ReplyDelete
  11. You are such a sweet daughter to go through those photos for your Mom. Love looking at the old ones my parents had too - so fun to see our parents young, isn't it! You have such a beautiful family. Hoping for spring to start soon though more snow is forecast for us. Have a wonderful weekend!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Beautiful!!! Thank you for such a lovely post. (and I am just about done with winter, wink). Blessings

    ReplyDelete
  13. Oh, what a wonderful thing you're doing. I love the way we can connect many generations through stories and pictures of our youth. You are so very fortunate to have your mother available to ask about her life. What a wonderful blessing for all of you. Much love as you walk a little bit through the past. :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. How I wish I lived closer to my mom. We speak often of the same project that you are doing with/for your mother. The pictures are beautiful, as always. Hope you are enjoying your weekend so far!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks so much for saying hello!

Billie Jo