The Way We Were

I love this picture. This is my mom and me sitting on my Aunt Janice's bed "playing guitar." Mom was playing a real guitar. I, of course, had a much lighter plastic one, just the right size for my chubby little three year old arms. I was quite a chunk back then.

I really do love everything about this picture... the smiles on our faces, the bright pink headband holding back my very long hair... and how about Mom's pants?! Those are some slammin' britches she's sporting! Everything about this picture screams early 70's.

What you can't see in this picture is my Auntie Janice, Mom's sister, who was ultra cool. She was a horse lover and a barrel racer with a quick wit and tough exterior. She had a couple of horses in the backyard of this very house, and in the front yard was her bright yellow Volkswagon Bug. She had a chihuahua of whom I was terrified because it would nip at my ankles, and a daughter named Jenny with whom I grew up.

But what I think you can see is the happiness in this house. You don't have to see the other people who were under this roof at the time the photo was taken to see the love between this mother and her daughter, or the happiness they felt just to be in that place at that time. I love this picture for many reasons. But what I love most is the fact that I can see the same joy on my mom's face that I feel every time I share a fun moment with my own daughter, which just goes to show that some things don't change. The way we were... is the way we are.