Monday, October 01, 2007

Memorable snapshots

Old photographs. New photographs.

They take on special meaning at a family reunion. The reunion itself takes on extra significance when it celebrates your mother’s 90th birthday.

Last month, my husband and I flew from California to my hometown of Nashville, Tennessee, to celebrate the 90th birthday of my mother, internationally renowned ceramic sculptor Sylvia Hyman. (Try Googling here – you’ll be amazed what you find!). We also honored her 22nd wedding anniversary to my stepfather, Arthur Gunzberg, and held a family reunion.

The event coincided with an exhibit of my mother’s recent work – fool-the-eye ceramic sculptures – at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts. Also, we viewed a wonderful half-hour documentary about my mother, Sylvia Hyman: Eternal Wonder, directed and produced by Nashville filmmaker Curt Hahn.

There’s far more in my memory than I could possibly write here, about touching bases with beloved relatives, meeting other cousins for the first time, and spending time with my mother and stepfather, whose mental sharpness outpaces most 20-year-olds.

Thank goodness for photographs, and not just the new ones, either. There were old photos in albums, shared by relatives, who asked my mother to identify that mystery person in the back row or where the shot was taken.

Of course, the new photos – emailed to each other, posted on websites, pasted into scrapbooks – save these latest memories for us and our kids. Someday, perhaps, my grandchildren (if I’m lucky enough to have any) will be asking me to identify who’s who.

Let’s just hope I remember!

3 comments:

Estella said...

Sounds like you had a wonderful time!

Anonymous said...

About 20 years ago I visited with a great aunt that I remember from childhood but had not seen in more years than I can remember. I had some old pictures from my parents that my mom didn't remembr who the people were so we took them along and asked her. It brought back memories for her that she had forgotten. Since then I lost both her and my mother.

Jacqueline Diamond said...

Dear Ellen,
I'm sorry for your loss, but glad that you had a chance to reconnect. Thanks to you and Estella for posting!
Jackie