I chose this one from my collection:
This photo shows my late father holding my niece, Brooke, in 1990, shortly after she'd been born. So many things come to mind as I study it.
Let's start with their faces. It's hard not to notice Dad's wrinkles in contrast to my niece's smooth, new skin. Dad lived a hard life and you can almost see each struggle in the crevices of his face. Brooke's life was just beginning, and while she would know hardship early (she was born with Cerebral Palsy in her lower extremities and would undergo many surgeries), her face shows no evidence yet.
They both have a look in their eyes that seems to be saying, "I don't really know who you are yet, but I'm comfortable enough to hang out with you for a while to learn more about you." And look at their mouths. Both are in a similar position--sort of like the shape that would hold a set of those goofy wax teeth that probably nobody under 35 remembers. And it sort of adds to the case that they were searching to understand each other.
Dad is gently supporting Brooke's head with his left hand--which is a good indication that he knew how to handle an infant. And like all babies do, Brooke seems quite content to let him hold her head up. It's a beautiful picture of the way older generations understand the vulnerability of younger generations and just naturally do what needs to be done to protect them. And it also depicts the way the youngest generation innocently depends upon and trusts older generations.
Their hair tells a story too. Dad's hair is still jet black even though he was 54 in this photo. (My hair on the other hand is speckled with gray on the sides and I'm just 41.) Brooke has new-born hair. It's not all the way filled in yet. In a sense, both of them have hair that is untouched by the ravages of time.
Brooke's hands appear to be on the verge of lunging out at Dad's face to grab his glasses, or one of his lips, or maybe she was thinking about sticking her fingers inside his mouth. She liked to do that. And if she did it during this particular instance, I'm sure Dad was quick to tuck his lips over his teeth and pretend to gum her fingers. I can just hear her giggle as he does it. It would have filled the entire room with joy.
Finally, I can tell a lot from the background of the photo. It was taken at my grandmother's house--the same house I spent so much time in growing up. I can see a portion of her old familiar clock on the wall. And I can see her exercise bike, which she was probably still using during this point in her life while she recovered from quintuple heart bypass surgery in 1989.
So much family history in one snapshot. So many great memories.
