Mother's Day

Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin, July 1962. I hope you have a happy one.

Another Mother

Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1920. This is Jadviga, the paternal Grandmother of my friend V.

Thanks to my friend V for making this photo available to us.

Mother's Day

Suburban Chicago, April 1961. I return to a favorite.

Family Resemblance

Lithuania, about 1932. My friend V made available this photo of her Mom and her maternal Grandmother, Antonina. Was it customary to pose children by propping them up closer to the mother's height?

Thanks, friend V!

Poolside

Suburban Chicago, May 1970. It's still too cold to swim.

The Elders

Suburban Chicago, Spring 1970. My paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, and my Godmother's Father pose during (what I think was) a Mother's Day visit.

Reaching Back

Tambov, Russia, 1902. This is my Great-Grandmother, Nina K. Here's the original post.

This image shows Nina K. visiting her daughter, Tatjana, and Tatjana's twins. Here's Nina K. later in life. This post explains why Nina K. looked so rattled later in life.

Revisiting Another Image

Kaunas, Lithuania, 1927. Here's my Mom with her Mom, Jadzė. This photo appeared early in the blog's history.

Mother's Day

Suburban Chicago, April 1961. I posted this photo earlier, but it's the image that comes to mind on Mother's Day.

Motinos Diena

The Future

Kaunas, Lithuania, 1938. Here's another high-school era photograph of Mom. World War II had not yet arrived in Lithuania, and Mom didn't yet know what was ahead of her. It was at about this time, however, that a fortune teller grabbed Mom's palm and predicted Mom would "live far, far away on the other side of the ocean's reach."

Related by Marriage: A Mama's Boy (in a good way)

Suburban Chicago, May 1961. Mr. Irene's Dad captures Mr. Irene and his Mom on Mother's Day. They're standing at the entrance to the ranch home in which Mr. Irene's Parents lived for 44 years.

Happy Mother's Day

Suburban Chicago, April 1961. I posted this photo earlier, but I add it again today because it's the one that best says "Happy Mother's Day."

Don't forget Grandmother on Mother's Day.

Kaunas, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, about 1959. Suzanne, the wife of my Dad's cousin Henry, comforts her Granddaughter, my Kaunas Cousin.

Related by Marriage: A Devoted Son

I tweak an old proverb: If you want to know whether a husband will hold his wife in high regard, then consider how he treated his Mother.

I am a lucky wife.

Marquette Park, Chicago, Illinois, Spring 1961. Mr. Irene and his Mom pose on a spring morning.

If you can't find a proper vase, then improvise.

Suburban Chicago, May 1966. I distribute Mother's Day carnations to the Lithuanian-school Moms. From left to right sit Lily, my Mom, and my Mom's best friend, Donna. The woman with the gray bun, whose back is to the camera, is my paternal Grandmother, Tatjana.

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Suburban Chicago, May 1966. Every "minejimas"—whether for Mother's Day or not—features some folkdancing and accordian music. We are back in the basement of the parish's oldest school building. Here, Donna's daughter, Kris, dances on the left, and I pair up with a young boy on the right.

Make every day "Mother's Day."

Suburban Chicago, February 1966. A visit like this can prompt my Mom to put down her knitting. My paternal Grandmother, Tatjana, has been busy darning my tights.

Out of Order

I chose a non-chronological order for this blog because that approach lets me freely post photos as they interest me. I select what I find quirky or touching on a particular day, and I am not burdened by structure.

Another benefit of shedding sequence is that I can insert photos as I find them. Images pop up unexpectedly: I find old photos, my Mom rediscovers envelopes, and relatives send me precious snapshots. There even are a couple of outtakes boxes that contain gems.

I also like return to earlier posts by "inserting" related photos. Recently, for example, I wrote about a wreath dance that the girls from our Lithuanian school performed at a Mother's Day "minejimas." I just ran across a couple of photos from that performance in an outtakes box.

They are perfect for Mother's Day:

Suburban Chicago, May 1965. We give a bow of thanks to our Moms.
 

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Suburban Chicago, May 1965. After the performance, we hand out carnations to the Moms in the audience. I stand on the far right.

Happy Mother's Day

Kaunas, Lithuania, October 27, 1939. This is my Mom, as a high-school student.

Mother's Day is around the corner.

Create—or reach for—a special memory.

Kaunas, Lithuania, about 1938. This is Suzanne, wife of my Dad's cousin Henry, with her daughter, Kaunas Nina. Kaunas Nina was the couple's only child.

Thanks to my Kaunas Cousin for making this photo available to us.