A Picture,Tells A Story

An article in the Atlanta paper, jumped off the page. Actually, I was startled. The photo of this precious baby was looking at me. One of the captions read, family photos hold moving message.
An exhibition at Emory University's Visual Arts Gallery, show photographs that Polish Jews took with them to Auschwitz-Birkenau. These are family photos, that were grabbed and hidden from the Nazi's, and found later. The Jewish people would hide their pictures, in their shoes, undergarments, anywhere to keep the Nazi's from taking their memories. Most were destroyed, burned with the bodies of so many. The Nazi's goal was to take this group of people from history. The pictures, if left behind, would prove these people existed, Hitler was having none of that. Somehow, 2,400 were found after the camp was liberated. Yet they were hidden in a warehouse until Ann Weiss found them in 1986. Ann Weiss researched and put names to faces, and later produced a book, called "The Last Album:Eyes from the Ashes of Auschwitz-Birkenau"
This exhibit, "Testaments of the Heart" celebrates these peoples lives. Birthday Parties, weddings, family snapshots, not the usual photographs that we see from the camps.
I will be going to look, and honor these strangers lives. I can not pretend to understand their senseless deaths, but I can call them by name, and remember them.
I place photographs of, my Ward all over places, with his name on the back, and the day he was born and died. Hoping whoever picks it up, will call him by name, and honor that he was alive, and happy.
These millions of people who died at these camps, were loved and mourned, and we will not forget them.
And my Ward, we will not forget you.

Paint with a Broad Stroke

While trying to avoid cruising through life on auto pilot, October is sneaking up on me.
Come September, daily routine wraps me up. October begs me to pause. It reminds me to stop painting with just the broad strokes, and throw in some details!!! October speaks to me, and I think???? says, "Look closely, wayward angel!!!"
So that is what my October plan is. Breathe and look closely.
Being mindful. It sounds good in print!!!
So I began, by decorating my house for October, pumpkins are out and about. Candy apple and pumpkin scented candles are blazing. I'm ready October, come on!!!!
Each season I have framed photos of the kids growing up. Each season, I bring them out. So while the skeleton tree was coming together, out came the Halloween photos, and fall photos of my babies.
The above photo, of the boys, always makes me smile. I was mindful then!!!
I remember dressing them, and the feel of their clothes. I can smell that particular Pennsylvania day. I recall how heavy Hart was to lift, and how Ward would pose for all the photos. The pumpkins were almost too picked over, but we found some orange jewels, and loaded up the car. It was magic, there were details, and I remember them!!!
The fact that they fought all the way home, and over whose pumpkin was the best, and were hungry and tired and dirty, I have blocked out completely!!! My mantra, "Concentrate on the photo Bonnie!!"
Ward will have been gone thirty-nine months, this October. I'm grateful for my memories, and with each season, I'm reminded of our loss. Being mindful, means remembering everything, good and bad, and still loving October when it comes.