I might be a few days late and a dollar short but this post is extra special and worth the urgency. My lovely Grandmother turned 97 on Feb 9, 2012! I was privileged to speak with her on the phone while driving home in the evening and she seemed to be in wonderful spirits thanks to all the calls, cards, and special deliveries. Thanks to everyone who helped make her big day extra special. We got to talking about her past birthdays, taking time to talk about the special ones. My parents like to throw her a big birthday party every five years. Her 90th was the biggest and best in her opinion and in mine. My brother created a cd for her as a gift and distributed copies to everyone as a party favor. Since I am all about repurposing, I thought it would be a wonderful idea to share with you the song list he chose as it was carefully created to represent the soundtrack of her life.
I pulled out the cd cover and scanned it into the computer. Then I realized there was no information about when and where this photo was taken. It is one of my favorites because she is so young and looks so confident, a virtue I wish all young ladies could have. She also looks a little like my Mom in this picture and I usually don't notice a resemblance between the two. Grandma had a lot to say about this one picture and I found it quite interesting.
Bits from B.B. Hill:
That picture there is of me in front of the high school. I reckon I was a sophomore, so the year would have been 1932. I loved that car and was proud of it. The car belonged to Papa and was one of the few cars in town. See back then not just everyone had a car. I believe it was a Ford Coupe and I can vividly remember the rumble seat. You know, those rumble seats weren't the safest thing. I suppose Papa bought the car that way because it was less money. The car only had two doors and you had to step on the fender in order to get in the back. Girls didn't wear pants back then, only dresses, so you had to be real careful about how you stepped to get in to the rumble seat. I have good memories of going on double dates and I would sit in the rumble seat with my date while the other couple drove. You know, you can smooch or do whatever you like in that back seat. I may be old now, but I surely don't forget those memories!
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| Example of the 1932 Ford Coupe with Rumble Seat |
Growing up we didn't have birthdays back then. It just wasn't a priority. Momma and Papa were busy making a living so I don't have memories of turning a certain age growing up. After I got married, Grover always remembered my birthday and got me a card or we would go to Columbia on a date. We were living in Swansea and at that time didn't have lots of restaurants or movie theaters. When Janice was born we did celebrate her first birthday with a small party. I had a cake with a numeral one candle. A friend of mine threw her a 16th birthday. That was about it. When I turned 75 I planned a birthday party for myself. I rented a trolley car that took 28 ladies and I to the zoo. However, Janice surprised me by coming and arriving to the party on the trolley car. There wasn't a dry eye around. My 90th was the best though. There was a four piece band, wonderful food, and the music for everyone. See, I guess things just keep getting better with age. Maybe there is a reason the good Lord is keeping me around.
Bits From Me:
I am so glad she has been able to enjoy life and is still pleased by the kind gestures, both small and large, that people present to her. I hope I can always live with a grateful heart regardless of the situation.
What a pleasant surprise to capture this quaint story that is both insightful to her youth and also a bit informative for me (not knowing anything about old cars or rumble seats for that matter). I truly cherish the pictures of I have of her and my Mom as they are few and far between. I think we only have a few photos of my Mom with her Daddy. Almost incomprehensible for me.
I am constantly wondering what I am going to do with all these photos I have taken of my children. Where am I going to keep them, should I print them, how am I going to keep them organized physically and digitally? To be honest, it is pretty overwhelming now that I am on kid three! I love that my Grandma knew exactly what picture I was referring to when I asked her over the phone to tell me more details. There were only a handful of pictures taken of her during her childhood, so each one is precious and comes with lots of memories. I wonder if the flood of pictures our children have now will water down the importance of the photos? Or maybe I need to do a better job of sifting through the masses and only keeping the select few favorites. The old saying less is more is true, but is so hard to live by in these times of abundance. Even though the pictures are "free" and are no cost for me to take, they come with small price of time and patience. Times that by the 10,000 photos I have and you are looking at a significant cost. I wonder how many quite moments or stories read I missed being mentally occupied with my photo obsession. Hey, I am a self proclaimed Mamarazzi you know! But on the other hand, if I don't have these pictures (and equal ratios for each kid) then I feel like I am selling my children short somehow. Like if I don't hand them their own external hard drive maxed out with photos, videos, and edited slideshows at 18 I am robbing them of a documented and well noted childhood. Oh and not to mention what if I did get rid of a photo that I might need someday... the guilt! UGHH!
Fast forward to God willing when they are 97 and their Great Granddaughter asks "Tell me about these couple thousand photos from when you were fifteen?" and I can only imagine the response. The cost is now different than my time or patience; the cost is the repercussions of indulging my children. I know that parents of the Great Depression didn't sit and ponder these types of issues. When you are busy surviving in the true sense of the meaning of the word you don't have time or money to consider other options. However, when you do have the choice, sometimes it can be more of a curse than blessing. How can we find the balance between enjoying giving to our children with happy hearts and giving too much too soon to the point of spoiling. Obviously I am talking about more than just photographs, this discussion applies to birthday parties, holidays, wardrobes, room decor, catering to likes and dislikes, and the list goes on. I need to be more conscious of these issues and take the time to think about how my family should make decisions and handle situations as they approach. For me personally, I need to remember to turn to the big book to help guide my heart and mind, which it surprisingly does every time.
Bits From Me:
I am so glad she has been able to enjoy life and is still pleased by the kind gestures, both small and large, that people present to her. I hope I can always live with a grateful heart regardless of the situation.
What a pleasant surprise to capture this quaint story that is both insightful to her youth and also a bit informative for me (not knowing anything about old cars or rumble seats for that matter). I truly cherish the pictures of I have of her and my Mom as they are few and far between. I think we only have a few photos of my Mom with her Daddy. Almost incomprehensible for me.
I am constantly wondering what I am going to do with all these photos I have taken of my children. Where am I going to keep them, should I print them, how am I going to keep them organized physically and digitally? To be honest, it is pretty overwhelming now that I am on kid three! I love that my Grandma knew exactly what picture I was referring to when I asked her over the phone to tell me more details. There were only a handful of pictures taken of her during her childhood, so each one is precious and comes with lots of memories. I wonder if the flood of pictures our children have now will water down the importance of the photos? Or maybe I need to do a better job of sifting through the masses and only keeping the select few favorites. The old saying less is more is true, but is so hard to live by in these times of abundance. Even though the pictures are "free" and are no cost for me to take, they come with small price of time and patience. Times that by the 10,000 photos I have and you are looking at a significant cost. I wonder how many quite moments or stories read I missed being mentally occupied with my photo obsession. Hey, I am a self proclaimed Mamarazzi you know! But on the other hand, if I don't have these pictures (and equal ratios for each kid) then I feel like I am selling my children short somehow. Like if I don't hand them their own external hard drive maxed out with photos, videos, and edited slideshows at 18 I am robbing them of a documented and well noted childhood. Oh and not to mention what if I did get rid of a photo that I might need someday... the guilt! UGHH!
Fast forward to God willing when they are 97 and their Great Granddaughter asks "Tell me about these couple thousand photos from when you were fifteen?" and I can only imagine the response. The cost is now different than my time or patience; the cost is the repercussions of indulging my children. I know that parents of the Great Depression didn't sit and ponder these types of issues. When you are busy surviving in the true sense of the meaning of the word you don't have time or money to consider other options. However, when you do have the choice, sometimes it can be more of a curse than blessing. How can we find the balance between enjoying giving to our children with happy hearts and giving too much too soon to the point of spoiling. Obviously I am talking about more than just photographs, this discussion applies to birthday parties, holidays, wardrobes, room decor, catering to likes and dislikes, and the list goes on. I need to be more conscious of these issues and take the time to think about how my family should make decisions and handle situations as they approach. For me personally, I need to remember to turn to the big book to help guide my heart and mind, which it surprisingly does every time.
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| Playlist Anthony created for Grandma's 90th Birthday Party |
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