Project 365 Day 185: Mom and Me

Canon 5D Mark ll, 50 1.2L, 2.0 aperture, 1/200 shutter, 500 ISO

People tell me all the time that I look like my mom. When I look at this image here, there is no denying it. It is okay with me. She is a beauty. I don’t know how she has managed it, but she has less wrinkles than all three of her daughters. It’s that ivory skin, I guess. That, I did not inherit.

I like this picture of us. We seem so relaxed an unposed. I popped in on her, and since I carry my camera with me all the time now, I thought I might get some photos of us together in her mirror. She was getting ready to go out, so I snapped some very quickly.

She is great about just letting me be myself, even when I want to take photos while she is getting ready. I love this. It reminds me of the times I have taken photos of brides getting ready. I thought about what it was like for her to get ready on her wedding day. Was she nervous? I know she was stunning from the pictures I have seen. She was only 18. I can’t wrap my mind around that. She is still so beautiful. And classy. My mom is so classy. I hope I inherited that too.

My mom is so easy to love too. She collects people who need loving. Everywhere she goes, there is a cluster of people who adore her. And, if she doesn’t know anyone in the place she is going, she makes friends instantly. When I was little, this used to mortify me. We would be standing in line at the grocery store and she would just start talking to people as if she had known them her whole life. You know the phrase “never met a stranger”? It was originally about her. I can’t say too much. Now I am the same way. I also embarrassed my kids on more than one occasion when they were little, talking to strangers. Now, they are all social butterflies as well. I am proud to pass this on to my kids. My Mama is special.

Before I left, I asked her if I could take her picture in her garden. We didn’t have much time. Still, she posed so naturally and beautifully. She adores her garden, and the birds that occupy it. She has too many bird houses and feeders to count. She knows when the Wren is nesting, and how the Bluebird couple is faring. She tells me about their different sounds they make, and their habits. She tells it with such joy, I can’t help but be captivated. “There’s the female Wren, up there”, she motions to the roof, “Hear her song? She is a tiny thing. She is telling her mate she has chosen the place to nest.” I love to hear her talk about the things she loves.

Can you see the life in her eyes? I love that too. She is an amazing mom. I hope to be every bit as special as she is to my own kids, and the world around me as well.

Blessings to you, my Mama.  I love you! So glad I got to spend some time with just you! I will be back soon.

~ Mary Sunshine