What a Picture is Worth

Posted by Intern Chick at 1:40 AM

My mom and my sister came to visit New York today so we could visit a cousin of ours at "the home."  Its been quite some time since we've seen her so we sat around a table and looked at old family pictures and I got to hear some stories I've never heard before about my family.  I sat there and stared at this old, second cousin of mine who I never knew much about.  Of course I'd heard stories...she worked for the UN for over 30 years and traveled the world; I heard about the beehive hairdo she sported, her fabulous life as a bachelorette in her cozy Manhattan apartment.  My mother told me about the chic parties she'd hosted in that apartment of hers years ago and always mentioned her extensive record collection.  I remember hearing the story about the gold sequin gown she'd had handmade somewhere in Asia during her travels; it proudly hangs in the hall closet at the house I grew up in and if I ever have an event that is good enough for such a dress, I intend to wear it proudly.  Maybe even with a beehive!


When I was in high school I got to see this infamous, rent controlled apartment of hers.  It was quite small, but how much space did someone who was always traveling the world really need?  The apartment, to me, was a museum of her entire life, with stories told through miscellaneous chachkas and pictures, with her records working as the soundtrack.  She let me take home some of the records and I always imagine the fabulous parties that must've gone on while her old record player spun those classics.

Even as a child, she always amazed me.  She would bring my sister and I all kinds of things, her bag always chock full of goodies.  She was our Cousin Mary and she was the most exciting visitor at our family parties.  And now, deep into her old age, we sat with her around this table in the TV lounge and in her private room overlooking the Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine musing over these pictures of our family.  These old, tattered snapshots brought back memories for her and she would digress and tell stories from her past that were just as gripping as they were the first time I'd heard them.

And so, before we left, we added another picture to our family history, one of my mom, my sister, my Cousin Mary, and myself, in the garden on a beautiful Manhattan Indian Summer day.

Labels: , , ,

1 comments:

  1. Meaghan said... October 13, 2008 at 2:54 PM

    I love your little chicky! Stopping by via SITS :)

    -Meaghan  

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)
 
Photobucket

Original Blogger Template | Modified by Blogger-Whore | Distributed by eBlog Templates