“The relationship between parents and children, but especially between mothers and daughters, is tremendously powerful, scarcely to be comprehended in any rational way.”

~ Joyce Carol Oates

CeIebrating daughters and thinking about the two of mine today drew me to our old photo albums. I flipped through the pages, reminiscing as I looked at pictures of my daughters when they were little.

The photos brought back so many lovely memories — moments of joy, laughter and yes, also, tears. Each one was a reminder of a cherished family story or a vignette of a happy event.

I was reminded of the Christmas when my first daughter received Ernie and Bert dolls from Santa. They were her favourite characters from the kids’ show Sesame Street. She loved them both, but Bert was Number One. She would happily share Ernie with anyone — but no one was allowed to play with Bert — he was hers alone.

I had almost forgotten how much Brynne loved the swings in the playground. The little imp would grin from ear to ear as the swing flew back and forth, but the tears would start the minute the motion stopped — that kid LOVED the swings (still does as far as I know!)

I was deep into nostalgia as I peered over every photo in the book — it was a pleasant way to spend a bit of time remembering my daughters when they were small. I miss those days a little.

Just as I picked up one last album, a photo slipped out from between the pages. It was an old, grainy, black and white photo of me! I look to be about two years old. I’m laughing at the funny antics of a puppy playing in the distance. I’m holding a ball in my hand. Of course, I don’t remember that, but I recall my mother telling me the story. When I look at this photo, I can almost envision that silly puppy!

My daughters love to go through our family photographs. Every so often, we drag out all the albums and look at them together. We remember and retell all the stories depicted in each photo. We each add our remembrances and fill in the blanks as we point out where we were at that moment — describing the scene in detail. These are the stories of our lives, who we are and what we mean to each other. Every photo has a tale to tell. We never tire of rehashing them. Those albums — they are a testament to our family— to love, laughter and life.

They are grown now and making their way in the world. They are both strong, caring, independent, and intelligent. They are fierce and creative with deep beliefs in social justice, equality, inclusion and acceptance. They are beautiful humans — I love them more than I can express. They have taught me so much. I am grateful for all they have given me and happy for all I have given them.