The importance of photographs

A while back I posted about my Mother’s Day project. I am still in the process of making a “video” of photos and old home movies of my mom growing up, her children growing up and her grandchildren … and now her great-grand child, Jenna Joy.

As I sit here tonight looking at old photos of family times, children growing up and the older family members getting even older… I ask myself if these photos have truly served their purpose … They are here to show us glimpses of the past and to preserve the past. They connect us, across time, across the miles of separation between family members and across lifetimes.

As I flip slowly from one image to the next, I feel the tears welling up in my eyes because I miss those who I can no longer reach out and hug. I remembered last January while I got to spend a couple of days with my mom and her telling me the stories within the photographs that I treasure. It is indeed a precious gift. I am seeing places and times that I never could have without these pieces of paper in my hands. And even if I could have seen them, even if I could have followed the paths they took, I would not be able to see through their eyes like I can when I soak in this story book of their lives.

Not only can I travel back in time, but I think about the future as well. I wonder if I will one day my own memories will one day be viewed with this same joy by my own grandchildren. I have remembered and relived moments gone by. I catch glimpses of laughter and memories made with friends & family.

These photographs do indeed bring me joy and I hope my children will enjoy them and their children.

Deb

Meeting Jenna for the first time

I think I am back where I can keep my page updated... and it's about time!

Work had me tired, exhausted and hating the computer. The last thing that I wanted to do at night, after a LOOOONG day at work during the most busy time of the year for a CPA firm was to come home and get on the computer.

Yea! Tax season is behind me now and I have my life back!

This is US. She is my first grandbaby. My little Jenna Joy. The most beautiful baby girl I know. I spent 3 and 1/2 days with her and those were SOME of the best days of my life.

I miss her dearly. She truly is a JOY to behold.

Sometimes life just isn't fair.

Stay with me here on this webpage... there will be LOTS more pictures and Nanna stories to come.

Deb

Jenna Joy

She's HERE!!! I know... I haven't posted in quite awhile! Work is killing me. April 15th can't get here fast enough.

I was sick so I DID NOT get to go see my precious baby girl last weekend but I am better now and will be making a trip to Oklahoma on April 16th and I can't wait.

Thanks to everyone for leaving comments and being so patient. I will be posting more pictures SOON!

Deb

Baby Girl will be here by THURSDAY, March 20th

Different kinds of....

Love

Your whole life, all you hear about is romantic love. It’s the love that fairy tales are made of. When I was young I remember watching Cinderella starring Leslie Ann Warren. My friends and I thought this movie was the greatest movie ever made. Well... something like that... It was 1965 and I was only 7 years old but that watching that movie I learned romantic “love”! And so I believed from then on that someday my prince would come and sweep me off my feet and I would live happily ever after.

But there’s another kind of love that’s every bit as poetic and magical. It’s the love between a parent and a child.

The first time you hold your tiny infant in your arms you know for sure that God is real and he loves you because he just blessed you with a miracle. When you give birth to your “perfect” child you truly feel like your life is complete. Then as your child grows older you suddenly realize what unconditional love really is.

I am now about to experience another kind of LOVE and my life will become even more complete.

TWO WEEKS AND COUNTING!

In about two weeks… I will have a grand child!

Something I have been waiting for for quite awhile now. My oldest child will be a father! How amazing is that?

I won’t get to hold my grand baby until March 28th. I was going for Easter weekend but flights are too expensive so I will go the following week. I am a little disappointed but it will be okay.

Don't worry...NaNa will get to hold her SOON!

Deb

My Mother's Day Project

My sweet mother turned 84 on January 31, 2008. She too is so very excited about my first grand baby! In fact she has been busy making a special baby pillow. The pillowcase is made of pink satin with the baby girl's name in embroidery.

We talk almost everyday on the phone because we live two states away from each other. I miss her dearly and wish I could visit her more often. I will be going to Oklahoma for Easter weekend to see the BABY GIRL and I plan on having my mom right there with me as well. The next trip to Oklahoma will be in May and I am planning a Mother's Day celebration with our newest member of the family.

My gift to her will be a a video of her life. I plan on using mostly still pictures and also home videos. For the past couple of months I have been gathering the photos that I can from my two sister's and I have even "borrowed" some of my mom's photos. This has been so much fun and I am astonished to find out that there are pictures that my mom has had that I have never seen before. I now have pictures of my grandmother when she was a child. I also have a picture of her grandmother... that's right... I said my grandmother's, grandmother! WoW. Can you believe it?

So between tax season (I work as an Administrative Assistant for a CPA firm) and my Mother's Day project and all of my other daily routine things that I have going on ... I am a very busy person these days.

Here is a photo of my Great-Great-Grandmother! And a photo of my "young" mother. Deb

What's in a name?

Okay... I have had 49.5 years to come up with a name for my grandchildren to call me... Well okay not really my whole life! I have really only thought about what I would be called in the past few years. So for let's say about three years now I have been contemplating what I would be called if God so chose to bless me with a grandchild. I called my grandmother on my father's side "Grammy". My grandmother on my mother's side was called by her 13 grandchildren "Grandmother". I know... very original. We couldn't call her grandma or anything else to shorten the name because we were taught that that name was respectful.

So anyway, I thought for the past three years that I would be called "Grammy".

But now... I am not so sure.

When I created this webpage I named it Being Grandma because I had decided that I would just stick with the traditional "Grandma" name.

But now.... I am not so sure.

My son has sent me a few suggestions...

Grandma
Granny
Mo-Mo
Nana
Grammy
Me-Ma
Grandmother
Gramma
Ma-Ma

I have also looked for on-line suggestions. Do you know that there are quite a few websites for "grandma nicknames"?! You really can find anything on the internet!

So... I am still trying to decide. Maybe it's not for me to decide.

Maybe it's for my first grandbaby to decide.

What do you think?

Deb