The Memories in the Old Photographs

Remembering how her father decorated her childhood with his love for his, family, how precious were the moments they’d shared, on these, outings as, a family together…translated…

Days after my father’s, passing, we sisters returned back home, to sort through the items he’d, left behind, of what we’d, sorted through, those volumes of old photographs on the shelves, helped us, grieve for the loss of our, father.

the memories made with their, young, child…photo from online

The photos at home, all had the dates, the locations where they’d been, taken from, that was pops, when he could still do everything himself, he’d, put together, the collective memories of us.  I’d, flipped to a page in the albums, with “February 2^nd, 1974, location: Meishan Park.  P.S.: the plum flowers are in full-bloom, taking the kids out on an adventure.”  At this moment of time, these, yellowed photographs, became that time machine, took me back, into the buried deep memories, temporarily, allowed me, to relive those, shared moments of warmth.

On that day, many a year, ago, my youngest aunt in her college years, came visiting, my parents who’d normally busied for our livelihood, took us out on an adventure.  Pops called loudly, “come, let’s have an adventure!”, we’d squeezed onto the bus from Chiayi County, come to the Meishan Park, and at this time, the plum blossoms were, in, full, bloom!

The elegant flower, like the snow that fell, overed up the entire park, breathtakingly, beautiful.  Mom stood underneath an old plum tree with the flowers, spread the plastic table cover she brought from home open, used that as a picnic blanket, we sat down leisurely, looked at the beautiful flowers, and, chowed down on the rice ball my mother, made, with my father’s creative cooking, “stewed dried daikon”, the ordinary ingredient, became the best tasting food I’d ever, gotten to, savor, in that time of not having enough, that was, what our parents can, provide for us, a top-notch, delicacy.  As the flowers were in full-bloom, my father was busy with his, camera, capturing us, chasing each other, us, hopping and jumping from joy, he’d, not gotten into the shot at all, the only family portrait was to our, pleading and begging, taken by my, youngest, aunt.  My parents were, so young in that photo, my eldest sister and I, grinned, ear to, ear, my naughty youngest sister made that face of hers, that heartwarming scene, illuminated of the simple, happiness.

a man devoted to his family…spending the time, to READ to his children, photo from online

Time had turned too fast, almost half a century had, passed, we sisters are already, into the, early older adulthood years now, and my father grew old, and tired, and, took that forever leave of, absence already.  And from here on out, we will, never get to, share these, daily moments with him, but, on this very day, through the “temperatures” of these, photos, I’d, time, travelled, and got to relive those times I’d shared with him.  And at this time, it’s as if, I’d heard him, stated, “let’s go out for an, adventure!”, and that bright laughter of, his, again.

So, this is on how a father, made the time, to take time off, from his, busy work schedules, to spend the time with his kids, and, even as the children grew up, they’d, still, kept the memories of this love he’d, shown to them in their, hearts, and that, is what a good father leaves behind, for his young, not just the cash in inheritances, but, the memories of his love for them.