I’ve never been one for “Hallmark Holidays”. Valentine’s Day. Sweetest Day. Grandparent’s Day. Father’s Day. I’ve often maintained (with complete honesty) that I do not care about Mother’s Day. It’s a running joke with my kids that if they supply the “obligatory hanging plant” then we are all good.
I have a really hard time with holidays in general. With the exception of small children, I intensely dislike purchasing gifts for the sake of purchasing gifts on holidays.
What I do believe in is the serendipitous find kind of gift. I have a friend who is a hard core atheist. We had a hysterical conversation about bacon a few years ago and the virtues of bacon. It was intense. We discussed if bacon should be wrapped around a water chestnut or not, if it should be crisp or slightly soggy. You know what I mean if you love bacon. And never mind the religious discussions we had had, trust me that the bacon debate was MUCH more heated. Oh, and I should mention that this friend is also the poster child for recycling, giving back, etc.
Just imagine if you will my glee at finding a tee shirt at the Salvation Army for 2.99 with bacon in the shape of the cross that said “Bacon is the new Jesus”.
(Pause while I cross myself …that Catholic stuff runs deep, so I have to cover myself) But SERIOUSLY? That is the best gift EVER. Second only to the thrift shop t shirt my friend Jane from college got for my ex husband who loved biking in 1985 that had a bicycle on it and it says “Re-cycle” that my 17 year old still wears. Or maybe third to the “Dookie” Green Day tour t-shirt that I bought because I was too pregnant to go and my 17 year old now wears, the tour was the year he was born.
Those kinds of gifts ROCK.
I love you, my friends….but I don’t need any more
A. Picture frames. Enough said.
B. Body Wash. Seriously. Yeah, I love smelling good,but it’s been 6 years since I’ve bought any body washes and I think I still have 15 of them in my shower. I used to delight in what to use, but now it’s becoming an issue. I feel personally responsible for ignoring the fragrances I don’t really dig. Gosh, sorry Fig and Aloe, you just don’t rock my boat!
C. Martini themed objects. Yes, I love martinis but my collection that I have been given by all of you makes me look like a candidate for the Betty. Back in the late 80′s in my Becky Home Ecky days I loved cows. For about 15 years everyone gave me cow-themed-items. Martinis -themed items are the new cow-themed items. Consider the thoughtful gift of Vodka instead!
But, I’m a Libra and often am prone to fits of sentimentality and stuff, it was Father’s Day yesterday. I thought of my dad, of course. But in truth I think of him more on the day he died, which sounds a little creepy…except that if you knew my dad you’d know he’d find it insanely cool that he died on the same day as George Harrison on December 1, 2001.
So with that, here some photos of my parents on their wedding day. These are a few of a series of 25 gorgeous fiber based true black and white based prints in their wedding album. Each photo is inlayed on the page as an 8×10. My parents divorced when I was pretty young and I don’t remember them like this, but in these photos…I see their love and connection as a young couple. I see myself and my sister in their features before we were born.
It’s not terribly PC to talk about broken bonds when you are a wedding photographer but I’m happy that these photos mean a lot to me. I’ve said it before: I truly believe that photos are the greatest legacy you leave for your children.
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