Have you ever wondered what life was like "way back when?" This past weekend, my boyfriend and I got talking about our grandparents, especially his, and the journeys that they took through their lives. Which really had me thinking and wondering. Have you ever gone through that big box of old photos? Each one tells a story! The one thing that makes me sad about digital photography is that we delete all the bad photos. When I was little, we would snap away. Whatever photos you took would be developed, and you were stuck with them. In the photos where maybe I was making a goofy grin, someone super special was in the background, caught in that moment. Time passes, and before you know it, that person lives on in your heart, and just by seeing that captured moment can warm your heart.
Meet Mary Virginia, my grandma. This little girl with sparkle in her eyes, and a big toothy grin was an incredible lady in my eyes. What did this little girl see in life? What did her childhood bedroom look like? What did she like to play? All these questions go through my head as I look at this picture. I'm guessing she was about 8 years old, just the age of the third graders in my class. She looked very happy, and perhaps because she's my grandmother I am biased, but I think she was a beautiful little girl.
Fast forward, about twenty years or so. That little 9 year old girl grew up into a sophisticated woman. I'd imagine that my grandmother is about thirty in this photo, the same age that I am today. She had two, if not three children at this point. She was a homemaker, and made sure she raised her children right. What was her life like at this point? I wonder what she'd talk about with her closest friends. She still has that same sparkle in her eye here, just the same that she had when she was just 8 or 9 years old. I wish I could just have had a glimpse into life at that time. I wonder if what I picture in my head is at all accurate.
Finally, here she is as I remember her, a happy, mature woman. We'd call her the "Queen Mother" because she just held everything together. This was the last birthday she celebrated in her house on Long Island before moving closer to everyone. I remember how she would sit in this chair and visit with my parents in the den whenever we'd go over to visit. I remember how she'd put out tons of cookies and snacks out after we ate lunch. She'd always have ice cream for dessert, and would always have those tiny, crunchy sprinkles for mine. She'd dance in the kitchen, and feed her little canary bird, Mr. Peepers. These are all good memories I'm so lucky to have.
It's hard sometimes to look back at photos like this, because I miss my grandmother so badly. She was an incredible lady. I was pretty lucky to know her for 22 years. She has left an imprint on my heart, and I will always remember her for the wonderful woman she was, and where she came from. If you look closely, she never lost that sparkle in her eyes.
You should go dig through those photos yourself, and find some good ones of the people in your life who you love. Each picture has a story to tell. Oh! And don't be so quick to delete those bad photos. You may wish you had those moments one day.
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