Making special memories

Today's memory is a good one, although I have no idea why it happens to be today's memory.

I had always thought that I would someday have a wonderful portrait of my daughter with my parents.  In my imagination, this picture would probably be taken at my daughter's wedding.

My dad died in 2000, and I never got that beautiful portrait of my daughter with my parents, so I decided that I would not wait for an occasion to get a beautiful portrait of my daughter with my mother, Harriet, but instead create the occasion and have the portrait made.

As I was planning this photo session to take place during my Mom's scheduled visit to Louisiana, my husband suggested rather than go to an ordinary photographer, that instead my mom and my daughter and I go to Glamour Shots.  So we did.

First, we went shopping for matching sweaters, so that we could wear the same tops.  My mom didn't like the crew neck look, so put a shirt with a collar under her sweater.

Then we went to Glamour Shots to get gussied up for the photo shoot.   The photographer fell in love with my mom.  I paid for a package with forty-two poses.  Six of each of us alone, six of Harriet and Melanie, six of me and Melanie, six of me and Harriet, and six of the three of us.

The photographer took at least forty-two poses of Harriet.   And he called her Harriet.  "Smile for me, Harriet!"  "Now tilt your head!"  "What a natural you are!"  And on and on.  She was a little uncomfortable when we got there, and didn't like the way her hair was done, and thought she was wearing far too much makeup.  But the more time she spent with that photographer, the bigger and more genuine that smile got.

For that afternoon, Harriet was the star of the show.   

I don't know why the photographer was so taken with her.  Harriet was a beautiful woman, and a sweet woman, but the photographer treated her far differently than he treated Melanie or me.  Maybe it was because they seldom had seventy something year old clients at Glamour Shots.  I'll never know.  But what I do know is that we made a very special memory that day, and got some amazing photos to remember it by.

And it was the most I remember my Mom laughing since my dad had died.  That afternoon in 2001, we were three girls out getting prettied up and having our pictures taken, with one of the girls being flirted with shamelessly by the photographer.  And it became a very special memory that holds on through the years.

As we drove home after the session, we were laughing and having a blast.  The glow from that afternoon shone a light on the entire visit.

I was able to give a copy of the portrait of Harriet by herself to each of my siblings for Christmas that year.  And I have the pictures of each of us, and each pairing and all of us to treasure forever.

Whenever you can, steal time from the ordinary to make special memories.  Of all the gifts we can give to those we love, special memories might very well be the most precious.  And none of us can ever have too many precious memories.