Thank you so much, Jim. Jon Lightle is quite the photographer. The flat, two-dimensional look he captured of the house made it look like a stage set, I thought. The woman is my mother, age 16.
I really like this one, Sharron! I think of going "home". But I know that all has changed, and that the memory of home is probably better that the reality of trying to recapture it. Only the nature of the place remains.
Glad you liked this one, James. There was more to say, but I wanted to keep to 50 words. As you say, it is difficult to " go home again". At least according to Thomas Wolfe.
I love your 50 word stories, Sharron. You somehow manage to capture so much emotion in just a few words. Did your Mom return to her home or is this how you would have imagined it?
My mom did return to North Dakota two times after leaving at age 16. One time was because she wanted her mother to meet her two grandchildren ( my brother and I ) . And second to be there when her mother was dying. Thank you for asking, Heather.
If you don't mind me asking.... do you remember that meeting? (How old were you?) Not meaning to pry...just wondering.... your mother was so fascinating.
I was 7. I don't remember the meeting, but I remember their house and yard and the food my grandmother cooked for us. She could not speak English, and I think she was not affectionate, so I don't really remember her.
For twenty consecutive years I spent part of my summer vacation in an ancestral home on the Greek island of Patmos. I'll need a lot more words past 50 to describe my feelings of living, even for a few short weeks at a time, in a family "castle" built in the 1850s comprising three levels and overlooking a brilliant blue sea. Several dear people, who spent time with us in that house, are now long gone, but I remember them all for their kindness, civility, and the goodness of their hearts. I am the last survivor of that group save my ex wife and estranged two daughters. And to paraphrase your beautiful prose "I stand before the persistent wind that angers the frothy seas extending as far as the eye can see..." ... and every time I shed a few more tears over a once beautiful life lost... God bless.
"She stands now before the persistent wind that blows across the heated fields"
Hauntingly beautiful prose, Sharron. Both of the pictures fit the tale (Or the tale fits the pictures.)
Thank you so much, Jim. Jon Lightle is quite the photographer. The flat, two-dimensional look he captured of the house made it look like a stage set, I thought. The woman is my mother, age 16.
I thought that was your mom. Very sweet.
I really like this one, Sharron! I think of going "home". But I know that all has changed, and that the memory of home is probably better that the reality of trying to recapture it. Only the nature of the place remains.
Glad you liked this one, James. There was more to say, but I wanted to keep to 50 words. As you say, it is difficult to " go home again". At least according to Thomas Wolfe.
I love your 50 word stories, Sharron. You somehow manage to capture so much emotion in just a few words. Did your Mom return to her home or is this how you would have imagined it?
My mom did return to North Dakota two times after leaving at age 16. One time was because she wanted her mother to meet her two grandchildren ( my brother and I ) . And second to be there when her mother was dying. Thank you for asking, Heather.
If you don't mind me asking.... do you remember that meeting? (How old were you?) Not meaning to pry...just wondering.... your mother was so fascinating.
I was 7. I don't remember the meeting, but I remember their house and yard and the food my grandmother cooked for us. She could not speak English, and I think she was not affectionate, so I don't really remember her.
Lovely, Sharron. As are the photos!
Thank you, my friend. It is just another of the "Katy Stories" I have written for 🍁Leaves -- little stories about my mother's remarkable life.
Photograph in words.
Thank you, Kate. Yes, I thought the unusual two-dimensional image of the lonely house was perfect for this little story.
I absolutely love this. 'Persistent' is such a perfect word (and AI couldn't have come up with it either)
So glad this little piece spoke to you in some way. Your AI point is well-taken, Forkbeard. AI is anathema to me - both the "writing" and the "art".
It seems she's at peace, whatever may have happened there before.
Beautiful photo of your Mom.
Yes, she learned to cope and endure over her adult life, and found true peace at age 80. Thank you Bonita.
Oh gosh, Sharron, is this Katy? Breathtaking post!
Thanks, Rebecca. Yes. Katy at 16, just before leaving home.
Oh, how lovely. 😍 I've got such a soft spot for her, Sharron, thanks to your writing. Such amazing life stories.
For twenty consecutive years I spent part of my summer vacation in an ancestral home on the Greek island of Patmos. I'll need a lot more words past 50 to describe my feelings of living, even for a few short weeks at a time, in a family "castle" built in the 1850s comprising three levels and overlooking a brilliant blue sea. Several dear people, who spent time with us in that house, are now long gone, but I remember them all for their kindness, civility, and the goodness of their hearts. I am the last survivor of that group save my ex wife and estranged two daughters. And to paraphrase your beautiful prose "I stand before the persistent wind that angers the frothy seas extending as far as the eye can see..." ... and every time I shed a few more tears over a once beautiful life lost... God bless.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and memories, AT. I wish you a New Year of inner tranquility and joyful surprises!