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Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Catching the soul



Here we are on a glorious summer day. Hubby is busy with something. Jasmine, our grandchild, and I are smiling at the camera in her friend's hand.

I want to remember this time we had with her, the world in front of her, though looking at the two of us, Hubby and I  need to keep working on our weight!
 I want to remember how happy Jasmine was that day on this patio.  I see her eyes have the same glint as her dad's, my son. Her sweet smile has  the same soft tone as her mom's. 

Photographs do catch  our inner strengths and personalities. They do project all the things we are.  We look at them and all we see are the things we don't like about ourselves. We begin to critique how our hair looked, how are clothes didn't fit right, how busy we were to look up or participate.

One can write a life's arc with one photograph. 

I have a link with my past and with my future in this photo. Jasmine will remember these days of her youth and entire sensations will return to fill any gap in her memory. 
How marvelous to have these tools at our disposal.

I remember that after this picture was taken, we made pizza, and I began a food blog to pass down a few recipes and a few guidelines.  Pictures, stories, instructions: humans are aware of their finite destinies and keep inventing tools to help them remember.

35 comments:

Diane said...

It's a sweet photo... she's lovely and you're all lovely together :)

Hilary said...

So true.. we do that all the time. Your granddaughter is lovely. I'm glad you keep the memory of this day so vividly.

Brian Miller said...

great picture...yeah my boys love to pull out the box and look through the pics to hear about life before them...

Unknown said...

Photos do indeed capture lots of thing! Wonderful that we have them to remind us of those memories!

#1Nana said...

Lovely photo...and you've given me a writing idea. Now I need to figure out how to copy my photos that aren't digital. I thought I might write some little stories about the before/after pictures. It might get me in the mood to tackle all the pictures I have in a box from when my mother died.

As the weather turns gray and cold I'm finding more indoor activities to keep me busy.

What is your granddaughter doing now?

Rosaria Williams said...

My grandchild is a freshman in high school, busy with lots of activities.

Donna said...

What a nice picture of the three of you! I like to capture the moment too but am afraid I overdo it a bit. I just love the pictures of the grandchildren and feel that's all I have when they go home. Just a bit of sweetness to hold....and that moment in time is gone so quickly!

Karen said...

I love that picture, it show such personality!

Helen said...

Such a lovely post, Rosaria! Lots of wisdom coming our way ~ from a very wise woman.

Eleonora Baldwin said...

Rosaria,
Jasmine is bellissima, and your sweet words make my heart sing. And that you keep the memory of this day so vividly is so touching...

Ciao
Lola xx

xxx said...

You really are beautiful :)
I like the way you view the world with love.

Woman in a Window said...

This is what it is about, isn't it, Rosaria? Seasons passing, recipes perfected, new generations rising up and taking our places with their supple bodies, and us, lucky enough to witness it all.

A beautiful young woman. Beautiful and loving grandparents.

xo
erin

Patricia said...

Wonderful post...you echo many of my own sentiments. Wish I could have had some of this wisdom at my fingertips when I was younger...but it does provide a richness to life now! I also think grandchildren create a link to life that is unique. Thanks for your sharing.

Terra said...

Your post is full of insights about how a photo can reveal things, and how the future can be glimpsed in your granddaughter's gaze.

Sniffles and Smiles said...

Photos capture so much, don't they? We are so fortunate to be able to capture our memories in this way!! Your grand-daughter is lovely!!! I'm sure she is every bit as wonderful as her grandmother!! Just out visiting some of my favorite people today!! Sending you love! Janine XO

yaya said...

This is why I like to blog...it keeps the memories fresh by writing down what's happening at the time. It would be fun to get your lovely granddaughter's thoughts about that moment in time.

Jo said...

You're granddaughter is beautiful. She looks so happy perched between her grandparents. That is a memory she will always have too, and decades from now she will pull out that picture and remember her wonderful grandparents.

What a sweet post. :-)

Hope said...

i like the photo your grandchild is a beautiful young lady. What a great time you must have had

enjoy the rest of your day

RNSANE said...

So glad to be home after a four day hospital stay. Such events make me so aware of how fleeting life is ( though I wasn't at death's door, I felt pretty sick ). Your photo and sentiments are so true. Wish I had a grandchild - at 66, I fear I won't have nearly enough time with one when he/she comes alone ( none yet in progress from my May newlyweds ).

Arkansas Patti said...

Love the photo and how it captured the three different personalities.
Photos do fix events for us and take the fuzzy out of the memory.

the walking man said...

Itis a good photgraph but I really don't care fr myself if time wipes out the memory of me or not and what i leave behind if my children burn it or delete it that'll be fine too.

Unknown said...

You're so right, we should be looking at the photos for what they tell us rather than critique how we look.

Your granddaughter is lovely!

NitWit1 said...

An excellent essay on the value of personal photos and the reasons many of us have boxes and boxes of photos we on occasion peruse.

Also it may illustrate a deficit of the digital photo as many of us never print and share. Our photos sit on hard drives or disks of some manner quietly, but usually permanently ignored.

Man of Roma said...

Bellissima è tua nipote, Rosaria. Anche tu e tuo marito siete belli. Lascia perdere il peso, chettenefrega, pensa a goderti gli affetti e la buona cucina, il resto passa in cavalleria!

I like that we keep in touch!

Tabor said...

Grandchildren and great grandchildren help wrap the life up with a bow.

Amanda Summer said...

such a thoughtful post, rosaria....and i agree that just one foto can bring back a whole wave of memories. your granddaughter is precious and must love her grandparents so.......

and your food blog was born that day...yay!!

Grandmother Mary said...

She's lovely. Good for you for telling your stories and passing along your wisdom. Your family is richer for it.

cheshire wife said...

Your granddaughter is a good looking girl - the camera never lies!

Marguerite said...

A picture really is worth a thousand words. This photo is priceless and shows the happiness that was being shared. Your granddaughter is gorgeous!

Cloudia said...

Very thoughtful post!


Aloha from Waikiki :)

Comfort Spiral

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Nancy said...

Yes, that's exactly what we do. You have a lovely granddaughter.

Relyn Lawson said...

It does sound like a glorious day. I seem to be having trouble blogging every day and visiting all my friends. Still, I did want to come and say hello.

Dumdad said...

It is said that a picture tells a thousand words. I love my photo albums with pix of my kids from being born (I took photos in the delivery room - ever the journalist!) and as they grow up.

Enchanted Oak said...

You make me think such a photograph is a highway to a precious moment, allowing the memory to spring up fully alive again.

Cheryl Cato said...

Jasmine is so lovely. What a sweet photo of the 3 of you... and I love the green tint in her hair!