The Three Amigos
This was a fun picture to find and I love it. I may have to print this to frame.
I have always heard the stories bantered back and forth when my Aunt and Dad got together and started reminiscing about their younger days. They were close in age and had a lot of the same friends. I always marveled at their relationship from that time because as an adult, I only saw their relationship after it had deteriorated, and become contentious. There was a feeling of superiority from my aunt to my dad and I saw her treat him with disdain and a condescending attitude more often than not.
So, this picture is such a refreshing flip on that script. This stands for all that is good about a sibling relationship – having fun and literally supporting each other.
I adore it and am happy that my Dad had this gift before their relationship turned toxic.
This was clearly on the family farm in New Hampshire – and if I have to guess, I’d say our Dad was in his early 20s, which would make it in the mid-1930s.
With the Great Depression in full swing at that point, I cannot fully wrap my head around what the country was going through – what my family was experiencing. With all of the struggles that were being endured, I am struck by pictures like these that depict an almost joyful moment.
I know that our father attempted to sign up for service and was denied due to medical issues – it was a topic he would sometimes sadly recount. I also know he had friends who served – some who came home and others who did not.
I am sure that in his 20s, he was struggling with not feeling like he was contributing, or defending the country, his family, and his friends. And because of that possibility, I revel in the fact that here he is with his sister and another friend (possibly eventually his first wife?) living in the moment – enjoying the time together – and most likely, being grateful for the present.
It is a tenet I have also tried to live my life with; though I have thankfully never lived through a war, there have been other struggles. I strive to live each day with a joyful heart to bring me into whatever the future holds.
Thanks, Dad!
- Were there moments in your life where you smiled even though there was turmoil all around? Did that mindset help or hinder it?
- Have you heard family stories of struggles that were met with a conquering mindset?
- Are you passing down a ‘living in the present’ disposition to the younger generation?
“The art of life is to live in the present moment.”
~ Emmett Fox
This section is dedicated to him and all of the laughs we enjoyed over the years.
What’s the difference between the bird flu and the swine flu?
One requires tweetment and the other an oinkment.
