Double Take

Elliot Hill (2 years), Emily Hill Crow (5 months),

and Karen Light Hill

~1975~

Jmichael Crow (3 years), Jedbot Crow (5 months?),

and Eileen Hubert Crow

~1974~

When Jedbot and I announced we were to be married in December of 1995, his mom wanted to assemble a special picture video for our wedding. As I sifted through old photos of myself to add to her own collection of baby pictures, I came across one that I would later come to love more than any other photo of me as a child. The reason for my taking a special liking to it was due to the fact that Jedbot had a photo of him taken in the exact same fashion. It's almost uncanny to see separate photos taken of us through the drivers side car-door window, with our brothers seated in front, as we sat on our mothers laps. Although Jedbot is 9 months older than me, it seems as though we were the same age when the picture was taken.

With Mother's Day around the corner, I felt drawn to these photos more than usual. It's a beautiful sight for me to see our mother's in their 20's as they traveled through life in a time when raising babies was their main focus. I love to look at these women and know that the concentration of their thoughts were on diapers, baby powder, burping, and toys. It's comforting to know that their thoughts were similar to mine as we each experienced the joys of raising babies. Even though I still have children to raise, I feel a connection to these special women, because I am a mother myself. I love to sit and lovingly gaze at these pictures and see them in a time in their lives where I have been myself.

So as I pulled out these photos from a special place I keep close to my heart, I thought it only fitting to express my sentiment for these worn images and my love for the mothers in them. For every diaper changed, runny nose wiped, dirty load of laundry washed and boo boo kissed....I love them. I love them not only for being our moms, but especially knowing the love I have for my own children is the same love they have for us. It's a love that can only be known through the experience of personally baring a child, and it's a love that would never be known otherwise.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom and Eileen! We love you!