We lost Mom on Sunday evening, Nov 6, 1977. This is, I believe, the last photo taken of her, in December 1976. That's her in the front row on the left holding the baby, my cousin Rachael. Oh how Mom loved babies! I remember the joy of the birth of my first son, how blown away by the immediate fierce love I had for him, and the sadness mixed in with that love knowing Mom was not there to share in it. I thought about it again with my second son, and I think about it sometimes now with the twins. I can't imagine how tickled she would have been over two!
This photo was taken at my great-grandmother's funeral in West Virginia. She had a farm up there on that mountain, complete with cows and chickens and ducks and a creek and a spring house and apple trees and homemade apple sauce and a bell outside the back door to call everyone for the meal and a peppermint plant outside the back door to chew on after the meal. Those were memories of heaven. It was always a treat to go to Great Grammy's farm! Well, not the drive so much. I thought we were going to fall off the side of the mountain and die as we drove up those curly-que roads where you could see right down off the cliff. Plus, I always got car sick.
We've lost a few people since this photo was taken. There are two Methodist ministers in here that have passed away - Uncle Kelly and his son, Kelly Jr. Kelly Jr battled cancer for years, and his parents unfortunately had to grieve the death of their son. Uncle Bobby passed away less than a year after retirement, heathy as could be but for one minor defect no one knew about. And cousin Jimmy, the joker, the one who made everyone laugh, had a stroke that he never recovered from. He's still alive, but he's been in a nursing home ever since. He was a professional flutist. You can see his name in the ending credits of a couple old movies.
There are three more Methodist ministers in this photo as well as a former Ringling Brothers clown who graduated from Dartmouth College. There's a Peace Corps volunteer who went to Africa (that has been a life-long dream of mine!), a little boy who lost his daddy, an uncle who is on his 9th or 10th marriage (we've lost count), a math whiz who ran a lunch cart on the streets of NY City, a cousin who was in a car wreck at 20 that almost took her life, and several more of us.
Who of us knew on that day what life had in store for us, good or bad? Who of us bore the scars of whatever had gone on before and hid them? Who of us does not look back on this day with joy even as we remember the sadness that was also part of that day? Is your family like this too? Do you only get together for weddings and funerals and mix the tears of joy and sadness?
And do you also look back and cringe at the styles that you once thought looked so good???
We take family photos at occasions like this too. It's sad, but when some members of the extended family are farther-flung than others, these times are often the only time we're really all together. The narrative for this photo that you've related here gives the people in it life for a little bit longer.
What memories for me this also brings back! We had a big family reunion in 1974 and this could nearly be the same group!! I think you have had far more tragedy than us but this is what life deals out. I think you are the one in front too with the patchwork dress. Thanks for the memories - now I have to go and find my photo that is so similar :)
Thank you for sharing this very special family photograph Ashley. It looks like there's a lot of joy here as you gather together to celebrate the life of your great-grandmother, but it seems as though your mother was far too young to leave you so soon after.
I'm so moved by your story, beautifully told! Often I think of what a compilation it would make to have a book containing everyone's stories! Coming to Lunenburg, we meet many people our age and older, and until they die & we read the obituary, we might have no idea all they overcame or accomplished in their lives before we met! People's stories are so fascinating and you told the tale well.
Still thinking about this photo, I had a group picture I posted with some of the people's stories http://365project.org/Weezilou/album-excess/2015-09-27 Little did we know that Robert, the 90-y-o, back row, black jacket, would pass away two weeks later. This was his last picture and used with his obituary. You never know...
This picture and the story have reduced me to tears, just thinking about hte passage of time and people and groups. (Oh, and I picked you out right away)
Are you the one in the patchwork dress?