During my childhood, my family moved houses around the second grade. We remained at that home, what I consider my childhood home, for ten or eleven years. Most recently, during my college experience, we moved houses again to find ourselves at our current home. I bring this up because I remember we had designated spaces on bookshelves for our hefty photo albums and family letters. From the two times I remember helping pack up our belongings, the collections of photo albums were some of the first to be moved with the furniture.

Over the years, I have enjoyed looking through these albums learning about the different family members and the stories my mom has shared with my siblings and I. I am impressed with the consistency my parents photographed the early years of their marriage, important events in their lives and family gatherings. As I am the last of four, I struggled to find the photographs in which I finally appeared, but once we found them, I am glad they had plenty of film.

I chose this photograph because it captures the essence of two family members: my great grandma who has me on her lap, and one of my older sisters. I love this photo because I am reminded of the immense love both had/have for me. My great grandma passed away when I was twelve. I remember the day before she passed, she was still showering me with multiple forehead kisses and wanting to hold my hand. When she would visit the US from Mexico, she would alternate weeks staying with my aunt’s, but stayed the longest with my family. I cherish the memories I remember with her. When my mom would say no candy, my grandma would sneak us both a small piece of a sweet or hard candy. Vivid moments like these are priceless for me.

This is also one of my favorite photographs because my sister Elizabeth is attached to both my grandma and I. My birthday is coming up next week and I probably would not have touched these albums before then. This assignment is timely, these photos are an “in” to when my dad was able to capture my first few days at home with family. Elizabeth and I have a very special bond, although we are not twins like our older sisters, in a sense we are. In almost all of the photos captured after my birth, she is in most hovering around me and smiling. My mom reminded me that all of my sisters were so excited.

Since my grandma’s passing, I started to think more about something my mom shared years ago that became more special to me while at Bowdoin. As I walked home to my dorm room during cold winters nights, I could pinpoint the big dipper in an enormous collection of stars. I started to associate these, even if they were not the same… with different people or the presence of someone in my family. I found comfort in these moments, thinking of those people – and as I rediscover these photographs, I continue to find and appreciate the love of family I am so lucky to have.