A Picture Speaks or Doesn't
They say a picture speaks a thousand words. Well, sometimes a picture doesn't speak at all. A while back, well, not that far back, my cousin sent me a picture of my dad when he was about 19 or 20 standing in front of an airplane with his Air force uniform on. He was saluting and you couldn't see his face as well as you would if he wasn't. Plus it is an old picture that my aunt had that my cousin had to "sneak" out of the house. So, when she sent it via Facebook I got it printed out. I made a few copies, and gave one to my sister. It is the only picture I have now of him.
Our family was never a very picture taking family. Or at least I don't remember anyone running to be in front of the camera in all the years I have been in this family. But, nonetheless, I had a few of my dad but not any more. So, I was thrilled when my cousin said that she had this one.
When my nephew got the envelope out of the mail box and the envelope said "Snapfish" I almost ripped his arm off trying to grab it from him I was so excited. I opened the envelope and inside there he was my dad, looking as young as ever standing in front of the big airplane in black and white. I think I stared at it for about 5 minutes. It was looking at him again for the first time. I had only a picture in my mind for the last 40 something years of him and how he looked the last time I saw him which was in the hospital the night before he died. And of course the memories of him taking us fishing, and blowing out candles with us on our birthdays and him coming home from work with our last puppy. But, all those imagines were in my head not in a photo that I could physically take out and look at when I wanted to. I couldn't look on the wall and see a framed photograph of him like I can with most family members or he was not tucked away in a photo album with the pictures of my great grandfather and great grandmother and various aunts and uncles I didn't get to meet who died before I was born. I had none of that until about a week ago.
I walked to my mother's chair where she was sitting and showed her the picture. I didn't say a word just put the picture in front of her and told her to look. She looked and looked and looked but there was no sign of recognition in her eyes of who it was. After a few minutes of looking she asked me who was this young man. I told her and she looked again. Granted she didn't meet him for about ten years after this picture was taken and it is hard to see his face but there was no glimmer of anything in her eyes that this person in the picture was someone she once knew and once loved and was married to.
I told her that it has been years since we have seen his picture and she agreed and looked again. I don't know if she really recognized him or she was humoring me by looking and saying that she did recognize him after I told her.
But, at least she looked and eventually smiled and I can't ask for more then that.
Our family was never a very picture taking family. Or at least I don't remember anyone running to be in front of the camera in all the years I have been in this family. But, nonetheless, I had a few of my dad but not any more. So, I was thrilled when my cousin said that she had this one.
When my nephew got the envelope out of the mail box and the envelope said "Snapfish" I almost ripped his arm off trying to grab it from him I was so excited. I opened the envelope and inside there he was my dad, looking as young as ever standing in front of the big airplane in black and white. I think I stared at it for about 5 minutes. It was looking at him again for the first time. I had only a picture in my mind for the last 40 something years of him and how he looked the last time I saw him which was in the hospital the night before he died. And of course the memories of him taking us fishing, and blowing out candles with us on our birthdays and him coming home from work with our last puppy. But, all those imagines were in my head not in a photo that I could physically take out and look at when I wanted to. I couldn't look on the wall and see a framed photograph of him like I can with most family members or he was not tucked away in a photo album with the pictures of my great grandfather and great grandmother and various aunts and uncles I didn't get to meet who died before I was born. I had none of that until about a week ago.
I walked to my mother's chair where she was sitting and showed her the picture. I didn't say a word just put the picture in front of her and told her to look. She looked and looked and looked but there was no sign of recognition in her eyes of who it was. After a few minutes of looking she asked me who was this young man. I told her and she looked again. Granted she didn't meet him for about ten years after this picture was taken and it is hard to see his face but there was no glimmer of anything in her eyes that this person in the picture was someone she once knew and once loved and was married to.
I told her that it has been years since we have seen his picture and she agreed and looked again. I don't know if she really recognized him or she was humoring me by looking and saying that she did recognize him after I told her.
But, at least she looked and eventually smiled and I can't ask for more then that.
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