I profiled my father yesterday, so today is my mother's turn. This is my favorite photograph of my mother. She's probably in her young 20's in this image. I find it hilarious that she's holding a camera because she was actually lousy at taking pictures (we would make fun of her many thumb shots). She was a good lady who enjoyed gardening and reading, but her undercurrent personality trait was unfortunately depression. She held herself together pretty well up until the moment her husband (my father) had a serious stroke, then all hell broke loose and she never really recovered. Her depression was harrowing in many frightful ways and living with her was like walking through a quagmire of crazy. I love her, no doubt, with all my heart, but she was a very complex women and I learned a lot about people just through her myriad of ups and downs. She died two years ago after a long bout of severe mental depression. I, by the way, do not suffer from her illness, not in the least bit.
What I admired most about my mother:
Her enjoyment of the beauty of flowers. And her love of Asian Art.
Lessons that I will take away from her life:
So often life is truly about mind over matter, but it is necessary to put your mind to it. Fight your demons. Enjoy life.
your face is so like hers
sorry your mum had such a hard time, my nana had to deal with a husband who had a stroke at 55 which meant she had to nurse him for about 10 years, hard times
Beautiful shot and such a wonderful yet tragic story. I totally revised my opinion on depression after suffering from post natal depression for the first time in my life and it is an illness that is way more complex than more people give it credit for. You wish for nothing more than for it to go away but the grip can be incredibly strong! Stunning shot and so glad to hear you are not afflicted by it and hope you never are :-)
Your mother was a very attractive lady, and I'm so sorry to hear about the depression. It can be such a hard thing to fight, even with help. You've done a nice tribute to each parent.
This is a beautiful shot and a moving tribute. I'm sorry to hear about your mother's troubles and it sounds as if it made life difficult for you as well, but at least you did your best for her and you have taken some positive lessons from the experience.
Depression is a hard thing to live with. So often other people think all the depressed person needs to do is think happy. Not that at all. This is a lovely tribute to her.
This is lovely Krista - it could have come straight from the pages of Life Magazine as it looks like one of Bert Hardy's pin-up shots. Sorry about the problems of her later years.
@tosee@vignouse@joansmor@paulaw@mittens@dh@joemuli@jocasta@tristansmum@bunnyb@roseolivia@kali66 thank you everyone for taking the time to share your experiences and condolences. depression is not an easy thing to just bring up in a conversation but it is definitely something that many families quietly live with in their daily lives (sometimes escalating to screaming, fighting, sulking, etc....you name it. it runs the gamut.)
A beautiful photo and a very moving tribute. I know what you are talking about as my mother had the same sort of problem and I love your phrase "quagmire of crazy" - I understand it very well.. Very hard to live with but like you I learned many lessons and fortunately I do not carry that trait either. I am so happy for you to have come through that with a strong mind, character and still with love for your mother.
sorry your mum had such a hard time, my nana had to deal with a husband who had a stroke at 55 which meant she had to nurse him for about 10 years, hard times