The weather was nasty today but the severe weather passed just south of us. I haven't heard if tonados touched down, but we spent much of the day with one eye on the television weather, or on our iPhone weather apps.
I had a hard time with this first Christmas without my mom. I spent most of the day in that strange place where I felt as though I were a spectator. I felt detached from what was going on, but watching the scene, almost as if I were watching a movie in which I was an actor.
This evening we had dinner at my sister's house and my niece who fell in love with photography and video because of me.
When she was very young, I worked at a newspaper. A big part of my job was photography. I'd shoot family pictures and print them up in the darkroom. She was fascinated by those images.
When she grew up and began working in photography herself, my mom gave her all the old 8 mm film and video taken through the years at Christmas.
Tonight, she showed a movie that she'd edited combining some of that footage from past Christmases.
Seeing my mom and dad in their element, was cathartic. I found that I no longer felt detached, but drawn into those images. I found myself laughing out loud. It felt good.
I hope you all had a Merry Christmas.
I had a hard time with this first Christmas without my mom. I spent most of the day in that strange place where I felt as though I were a spectator. I felt detached from what was going on, but watching the scene, almost as if I were watching a movie in which I was an actor.
This evening we had dinner at my sister's house and my niece who fell in love with photography and video because of me.
When she was very young, I worked at a newspaper. A big part of my job was photography. I'd shoot family pictures and print them up in the darkroom. She was fascinated by those images.
When she grew up and began working in photography herself, my mom gave her all the old 8 mm film and video taken through the years at Christmas.
Tonight, she showed a movie that she'd edited combining some of that footage from past Christmases.
Seeing my mom and dad in their element, was cathartic. I found that I no longer felt detached, but drawn into those images. I found myself laughing out loud. It felt good.
I hope you all had a Merry Christmas.
Oh Man! That's the best.
ReplyDeleteI love watching those old footages.
Nothing like it.
Our families miss sooo much today.
My Dad gave akll our footages to my cousin to put on disc and he never gave them back.
I was very angry at my Dad.
I told him he would never see them again and now he's passed away and that's it.
Why my cousin would want my memories is beyond me.
Revisiting good memories really can heal the heart. My sister buried her son on Christmas Eve 27 years ago so we often spend time remembering back because I was pregnant with my son at the time. But they are now good memories even though they are sad. So glad to hear the really bad weather passed you by.
ReplyDeleteRick! awh, touching. Thank you for sharing. This is the first Christmas without my brother who died in August. He was disable-delayed from birth and was my responsibility since our Mom passed in 2003. He was like a child to my husband and me. My husband was great with him. He lived to almost his 71st birthday. We have loss symptoms in common this year. I appreciate your candor and emotions in this post. Thank you. I missed my brother but also knew he was too ill to stick around. I love him.
ReplyDeleteThank you for commenting on my posts! :D
What a special gift! It sounds like you had a wonderful holiday!
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely experience you had, Rick. Your mother's loving spirit was with you.
ReplyDelete