Old Photos of My Mother

I’ve been scanning old family photos for my mother. We’re trying to create a digital archive so all the sisters have a copy. It takes a lot of time, but it’s a great way to make sure all five of us and our families have a complete collection of all the family photos. Today, I pulled out two pictures of my mother I wanted to share. I love both of these photos.

The first one is an old elementary school picture. I’m not sure what grade she was in when this was taken, but I love that the photographer captured this exact moment. School photos aren’t exactly famous for capturing us at our best, but I think this one is perfect. She’s so young and innocent, but her smirk proves there’s mischief churning just under the surface. You can tell by the look in her eyes that she’s up to something. I wonder what it was. Something to do with her brother, perhaps? She’s a clever girl, and it looks like she’s definitely up to something. She still has a mischievious streak. I like that about her. I like it very much.

I think the second one was taken when Big Sis was just a baby. It’s obvious she’s paying bills or balancing the checkbook. Money was tight when we were kids, but it was extremely tight when she was little. Times were tough, but Mom was tougher. Because of her youth, my mother grew up very frugal. She had a gift for making something out of nothing on a daily basis. She made our clothes. She fed a family of seven on pennies. She grew her own vegetables and had a small orchard in the back yard. I once saw her pull a door off its hinges and plane it down so it wouldn’t stick. She knew how to do everything, and still does. She was alway conscious of how much money we had and how to stretch it. I never considered what she went through when we were kids. I never gave a second thought to how we would pay our bills or how she had to juggle things to make ends meet. Kids don’t think of things like that. Mom never had it easy, but she made sure we were taken care of. Thanks, Mom. I didn’t say that as a child. Thanks for all you did for us and all you sacrificed to do it. I think you’re awesome. I really do.