My blog friend, Flower Jane had a great idea to share an old photo and tell a story about it, so I went digging. The old cigar box I keep on a shelf was brought down and I foraged through its contents until I found this black and white photo from 1961.
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| Grandma, 41 ~ Marti, 19 ~ Deb, 3 days |
I'm in a funk these days, still nursing some broken heartstrings after the dismissal of some dear co-workers, and my mind follows suit by thinking up a list of all the sad things that have happened in the lives of my grandmother, mom, and me since this photo was taken. I play the list in my mind like a broken record: my grandfather's passing, my uncle being drafted and going to Vietnam, my dad leaving several times, and my mom's battle with ovarian cancer. "We had no idea in that moment what challenges were ahead of us," I think to myself.
"But wait!" says happy me. "There have been all sorts of good things in the mix as well," and I have to dig deep into the corners of my mind to list them. Why, I wonder, is it sometimes difficult to focus on the positive when the negative just comes so easy? Of course there were good times - the birth of my grandmother's first grandchild, yours truly, for one!
We had no way of knowing, way back in 1961 what the future held, but in hindsight it's clear that we could handle whatever came our way. How fortunate am I to come from a strong line of resilient women, captured in a black and white photograph at the beginning of our journey together.
"But wait!" says happy me. "There have been all sorts of good things in the mix as well," and I have to dig deep into the corners of my mind to list them. Why, I wonder, is it sometimes difficult to focus on the positive when the negative just comes so easy? Of course there were good times - the birth of my grandmother's first grandchild, yours truly, for one!
We had no way of knowing, way back in 1961 what the future held, but in hindsight it's clear that we could handle whatever came our way. How fortunate am I to come from a strong line of resilient women, captured in a black and white photograph at the beginning of our journey together.
♥
23 comments:
Someone once said to me "always remember everyone you meet has a secret that would break your heart" and sometimes it can be a good thing to stand still and remember that no matter how cheerful someone seems or how good their life appears from the outside, everyone has faced challenges. I like how you have captured this in the story behind the picture today
What a wonderful picture and such thoughtful words behind it.
I loved that you shared a piece of your inner and outer world with us.
xo J
Lovely picture, thoughtful words! (((hugs)))
I love what Sian has written and wholeheartedly agree. I wonder why some people want to know the future. Because knowing about the good things that will happen inherently implies that you will know about the awful things. Leave the future where it is and embrace the here and now.
The photo is wonderful. It's full of love, hope, promise.
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I have no idea why Blogger has added a row of digits to the above comment!
It seems like we have to have bad things in order to fully appreciate the good things. But hopefully the good ones will far outweigh the bad. What a fabulous old photo that is, a real treasure.
That is an awesome photo! And I love how you have taken life's challenges and met them head on, with grace and kindness.
I was struck by those clear direct looks into the camera, Deb - and how wonderful to have three generations so close like this ... Your retelling of your thoughts from 'sad' to 'glad' touched me. So sorry about those co-workers :(. As for why we tend to fix on the negative faster than the positive? Well, according to neurobiology we are programmed to look for threat, because if we don't we might not survive We'll see and remember 'sticks' faster than 'carrots' because if we choose not to pursue a 'carrot' (like food or a hunky looking man!) there might be another opportunity another day. If we miss 'a stick' (like a prowling predator') our carrot-seeking days are done! Thank-you so much for linking up and letting us see a little bit of you and your world today. I am also so pleased to see your link :).
Another here, who likes Sian's comment. What a great photo. It's reminded me of a three generation photo I have that features me and my brother with my Mum and Granddad. Two of us sporting identical glasses! Perhaps I'll share that one of these days!
Hi Deb! I'm very sorry to hear about your co-workers. That's so hard. The picture is so, so beautiful! Your Mom was so young when she had you (my parents too!). I noticed you don't seem to resemble your Mom's side. Is that true? Do you take after your Dad's side? Anyway, I loved your words....I can relate to having to make more of an effort to bring up the positive events. I guess we're all like that to some extent....just our nature! Sending hugs your way, my friend! XOXO
I love your 'generational' photo,Deb....and glad you can recall the happy memories....as well as the sad.
What a lovely photo, one to cherish. The thoughts both positive and negative were definitly heartfelt and beautiful. Thank you for sharing.
What a moving photo Deb and what beautiful words. I think those women would be proud of how strong and resilient you all became. Thank you so much for sharing.
Beautiful generational picture. The good comes with the bad, its called life, nobody escapes it. It makes us the beings that we are, and makes us fascinating.
What a lovely picture and thoughtful post.
Thank you.
Just catching up on some blogs - this is a beautiful post, you do indeed come from a long line of strong and beautiful women! And so glad you had some time with Alison. Looks like you two really got along well.
What a wonderful photo of three such wonderful women and thoughtful words to go with it too xx
Deb... What a lovely photo and precious keepsake! Your thoughts are so poignant. It is difficult to see our work family hurt. Losing a job is like a death ...to those going as well as the ones left behind. 2013 was much the same for me. Allow yourself to grieve along with being hopeful for the future. I think both are necessary steps. Thanks for sharing. Blessings...Susan xx
What a lovely post Deb. Thank you to Alexa for explaining why and to Sian for the reminder that everyone you meet has a secret that would break your heart.
Oh No! Blogger is back to the letters. I coped with the numbers better!
I look at the photo and see three really strong looking women (even if one is tiny and oh so adorable). What a great way to capture your simple moment.
Rinda
Somehow I opened this post in Chrome, didn't leave a comment and just found it again going through all my open tabs! (It's been a crazy week!) We took a similar photo of four generations when Sarah was born, and it was a good thing we did, as her great-grandmother passed away within two months of the photo. It's a treasure, as is yours.
What a wonderful photo of the 3 of you Deb.
What a fabulous picture of the three of you. And good for you for circling back around to the good things. Life's too short to keep reliving the bad.
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