It's Mother's Day in the U.S. (and in Taiwan)! And today, this particular photograph came to mind as I considered the indispensability of mothers and all they sacrifice in order to care for their families. The picture was taken sometime during the first few months of 2004 at my grandmother's cottage home in the Champions area.
What's so special about this photograph is the unique combination of women in the room.
In the back is my grandmother Margaret Virginia Dunaway (my dad's mother). She was around 85 years old at the time. If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know how dear this woman has been to me. She only moved into the house shown above a few years after Granddad passed away in 1992. Some of the same paintings, antique furniture and breakables from the old house on English Street were transferred to this one, which gave the place that grandmothery feeling.
To Grandmother's left is her daughter Gloria. I have many great memories of spending time at Aunt Gloria's home during the holidays. She lived in the vicinity of Grandmother's house, so it was easy for her to stop by regularly and check on her.
Seated on the sofa in the center is my sweetheart, Carrie. She's holding our son Alex (the firstborn of our twins), and his brother Austen is held by Carrie's mother Hu Hui-Fang. She has come from Taiwan to visit Houston several times. On this occasion, she stayed with us from summer of 2003 until summer of 2004 to help us care for the boys during that busy first year. In Chinese, the most common word to address one's mother is simply "Ma". And that's what I've always called her.
And on the other side of Carrie is, of course, my mother Joyceanne Bayne. She's always been there for me and my brother, and she has continued to be there for my own family. We are forever grateful.
So there you have it. Three generations (four, if you count the boys) from two sides of the earth, all connected in one way or another by destiny and also by the mutual beauty of motherhood.
In the back is my grandmother Margaret Virginia Dunaway (my dad's mother). She was around 85 years old at the time. If you're a regular reader of this blog, you know how dear this woman has been to me. She only moved into the house shown above a few years after Granddad passed away in 1992. Some of the same paintings, antique furniture and breakables from the old house on English Street were transferred to this one, which gave the place that grandmothery feeling.
To Grandmother's left is her daughter Gloria. I have many great memories of spending time at Aunt Gloria's home during the holidays. She lived in the vicinity of Grandmother's house, so it was easy for her to stop by regularly and check on her.
Seated on the sofa in the center is my sweetheart, Carrie. She's holding our son Alex (the firstborn of our twins), and his brother Austen is held by Carrie's mother Hu Hui-Fang. She has come from Taiwan to visit Houston several times. On this occasion, she stayed with us from summer of 2003 until summer of 2004 to help us care for the boys during that busy first year. In Chinese, the most common word to address one's mother is simply "Ma". And that's what I've always called her.
And on the other side of Carrie is, of course, my mother Joyceanne Bayne. She's always been there for me and my brother, and she has continued to be there for my own family. We are forever grateful.
So there you have it. Three generations (four, if you count the boys) from two sides of the earth, all connected in one way or another by destiny and also by the mutual beauty of motherhood.