Seven Quick Takes: Throw(Way)Back, Edition 1

As I struggled to come up with a topic for this edition of quick takes when writing today (Thursday), the only thing that popped to mind were the fun Throw-Back-Thursday pictures that people like to post.  Those kind-of-old-pictures made me think of really-old-pictures, which I happen to have a lot of.  Most people don't know this about me, but I am really into genealogy.  I haven't made as much time for it recently, but I started collecting bits of family history 12 or 13 years ago.  It began with a box of forgotten pictures, which led to stories, which led to research, which led to more pictures...and I was addicted.

I am more into scrapbooking the pictures than anything else, but I do love finding a treasure in the form of a story that goes along with the picture.  I was fifteen or so when I found a stash of hundreds of OLD pictures that I had never seen before sitting in a box in my Grandma's basement.  My family sat around that Christmas digging through them, reliving memories, hearing tales of the past, and igniting a desire to share and preserve everything.  Cue a 4-H project for me, and I started scanning pictures, talking to my grandparents, and visiting libraries and graveyards.

While I have loved the journey that my family history has taken me on, I can look back and see that my peaked interest as a sophomore in high school (certainly not a typical hobby) was due to the movement of God's hand.  I was able to spend quality time hearing these tales from the mouths of my grandparents, recording their memories, and asking questions about the past with enthusiasm as part of my new quest.  What I didn't know was that I would lose two of my grandparents within six months of each other during my freshmen year of college.  I am so grateful for the intentional time that I got to spend with them in those few years and the precious memories that won't be lost for future generations.

So, with that sentimentality in mind, I would love to share with you some Throw(way)Back photos of my family, starting with my mom's side (only because I have more Wilkinson readership).  Stay tuned for the Bogner side next week. :)

1.

A little appropriate music to read by...

2.

We'll start with this boy:

That's my handsome Papa.

And this girl:

That's my stylish Granny.  Check out the jewelry, and those pin curls!

Who had this family:

Yup, seven kids.  My mom's the little one.

 3.

 My Papa with his six kids, chillin' on the tractor...my mom didn't come along for a few years...

...but she was very loved.  This picture of her and her dad is one of her favorites, and she still has his hat.

4.

I have pictures going back to some of my great-great-great grandparents, which is awesome.  This particular picture has four generations: The baby is my uncle Jim (my mom's oldest brother, who is 20 years older than her), holding him is my grandpa Harold, the lady is his mom Vota (my great grandmother), and in between them is her dad Charles (my great-great grandfather).  Pretty amazing.

5.

The story of the family on my grandmother's side is tragic.  She was an only child, and her parents were accidentally electrocuted after a storm left a downed wire in their yard.  She was only nine at the time, and was then raised by her aunt and uncle.  I have several formal shots of her parents, William and Edna, but this is my favorite. 

6.

One of the best parts of the old pictures is the fashion.  What was popular, what has come back into trend, and what I wish I owned :)

We've got the ever exciting matching dresses.  These were 4-H projects that they made.

My Granny on the left and her cousin Ardis.

 And bathing suits...

 And prom dresses:

My Granny on the left

 Sailor pants and ruffles...

My Granny is the cute one in the middle :)

 And clothes for school...

My Granny is on the left in the back.

I would totally wear that sweater set.

7.

My grandmother used to say that my mom and I looked so much alike, that the only way she could tell our baby pictures apart was that my mom's were in black and white.  I can see her point.

My mom on the left, me on the right.

My mom on the left, me on the right. Hairbow and all.

My mom on the left, me on the right.  We both like flowers, but she likes dogs more than me.

It doesn't help that she sometimes dressed us all alike.  Red polka dots, anyone?

There is no denying that my mom, my sisters, and I all look alike.  My mom is just eating up all the times that she and I are mixed up by people.  I have stopped correcting others when they call me Becky.  More and more, people are introducing her as my sister.  She loves it.  I just hope that it means I look as young as she does when I am her age. :)

~~~

So, while these pictures probably don't mean anything to you, they mean the world to me.  Photos preserved to keep the stories of people, people who matter, remembered and shared.  I am privileged to have taken up the challenge of collecting the treasure of these memories, and know that sharing them is a tool that can be used to speak of the faithfulness of God.  And so, my gathering will continue.

“We will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.” ~Psalm 78:4

Check back next week for the Bogner throw-way-back pictures, and in the mean time, go visit Conversion Diary for more Seven Quick Takes!