Saturday, December 20, 2014

Five Years Gone


I'm participating in this week's Sepia Saturday, and just squeaked by under the prompt photo's theme, which is that of "families, festivities, trees, candles and wine." So I guess that keeps me from being a Sepia Scrooge.

I'd like to do a little tribute to my mother, who passed away five years ago today (December 20th) at the age of ninety-two.

For a year or so, after she died, I'd do little pieces based on the fact of her loss. The first Mother's Day without her, the first birthday she wasn't here to celebrate with us, etc.  Then I suggested to myself that I should stop being so maudlin and attempt to get on with my life.

But I thought that, for this five-year "anniversary" of sorts, my readers would excuse me if I published one more little remembrance of the woman who raised me.
 
My mother was born Anita Hartman on October 20th, 1917. And, as I've said before...

There were more technological advances during the span of my mother's life than I could list, even in a post of my usual entry's length...

My mom lived to see high-definition, flat-screen televisions. When she was born, radio hadn't even entered its golden age. Commercial air travel hadn't even gotten off the ground... errr... so to speak. And I could go on.

...but I won't.

I'm just going to share a few photos of my mother, spanning roughly 92 years.

The earliest existing photo of Anita
Hartman (center), at approximately age 3.

(Close-up of same.)

Mom at roughly 41/2, being held by her older sister Josie.

Mom's rather unusual haircut above was "designed" by my
mom herself, on a day when she ran amok with a pair of scissors.

Yearbook senior photo, 1935

Mom's autograph, from that same yearbook, a yearbook my mother never owned.

Mom and Dad on their wedding day, September 28th, 1940.

Circa 1943

Mom and Grammy Josephine, mid-1950s. Photo taken by my young sister, Kathy, hence the upward angle.

Mom at approximately fifty, late 1960s.

And the above photo is one of my favorites of my mother!

Thanks for your time.

38 comments:

  1. I love the photos. She was very pretty. It's been far more years since my parents died, and I still miss them.

    Love,
    Janie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yeah, it's the kind of thing one never gets over, I suppose.

      Delete
  2. She sure didn't look like a happy camper in the first one lol so many advancements happened in that time frame indeed, now all we really get is iphone version 6.6.8.9.7 or some crap.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Most of my mom's earliest photo featured her grimacing, most likely because the sun was in her eyes when they snapped the photo! Ha.

      Delete
  3. You have to think you have lovely memories of your Mom and this is beautiful!
    I love her last picture when she is dancing!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The waiter she's dancing with asked my permission to dance with my mom first. I didn't even have a camera. Someone else took that great photo for me!

      Delete
    2. So you have a beautiful picture to remember her:)

      Delete
  4. What a lovely tribute for you dear Mother, and I really enjoyed your last photo as well, what a treasure it is to view today, and recall in your heart!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Nice to see your mother move through her life -- good photos for us, good memories for you...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Just be glad I spared you the hundreds I have! Ha.

      Delete
  6. A wonderful tribute from a loving son.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Very nice!Good thing you have those pictures.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We need to get together with my family photos sometime. It's not like we never see each other.

      Delete
  8. It's been nearly 20 years since my mother died. I worry that I'm a bit maudlin too but I don't mind you sharing...I think it's rather lovely that she meant so much to you.

    ReplyDelete
  9. What a beautiful lady, I love the photo taken c1943 and the last one of her dancing. It’s lovely to have such nice memories. My parents died a long time ago, but I still miss them and think of them all the time.

    ReplyDelete
  10. A very nice photo chronicle of your late mother's life. Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  11. There is no such thing as too many tributes to the most important woman in your life. Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  12. A lovely testimonial for a lovely lady. :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. a fitting tribute to the lady who raised you....this time of year it is hard not to think about those that have passed on...and hopefully in what they gave us in the time that we were blessed to spend with them....

    ReplyDelete
  14. My mother died 15 years ago this evening here in the house. It has gotten better, but I try to make sure I'm not in the house at the exact time it happened. A night out to dinner and a drive around to see Christmas lights helps. It distracts me. So I understand completely. Christmas will never be the same and it took me years before I even wanted to drag out the decorations and pretend to be cheery. Time does help. Hang in there. Find what you can of Christmas memories and fill your heart with them.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for sharing that. Hope your holidays go well this year.

      Delete
  15. A fine tribute, thank you. I lost my dad this fall and have thousands of his photos which will take time to arrange. Like your post, it is a labor of love I think.
    Best wishes for a cheerful new year.

    ReplyDelete
  16. One should never apologizes for doing what's right.
    A beautiful tribute!!
    Happy new year!!
    :)

    ReplyDelete

I strongly urge you to sign up for follow-up comments, because I (usually) reply to your comment! Comments left for me more than three weeks after a post is published will not appear until I approve them, but they will be answered eventually!

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...