you're so very welcome, ladyhawke! not very many things put a tear in my eye, not sad stories, real or fiction (unless it involves an animal, i.e. a dog), but fond nostalgia and happy endings in the wake of insurmountable agony just might.
our inimitable motts provided the image, and you, my dear, brought it to life, supplied its soul, added a facet that turned a photograph into a story....
ladyhawke, i have never met you, but when i look at this photo now, i can see you walking up the stairs as a child, your mother holding your hand protectively, watching you, making sure that no harm befell the most precious thing in her life, cherishing that moment as lovingly as you are cherishing it now.
as you can see, sharing that with us was a wonderful gift for me. there are many things out of my realm of personal experience. it is hard to explain.... it's like, now i have an idea of what something feels like without the actual familarity.... hmmm. i am putting this rather badly, i'm afraid.... how about this, reading your story sort of rounds out the missing parts of my own life. it is looking in the window of a whole other life... oh, i give up. i apologize, but i am probably confusing you more than anything else, please forgive me.
just let me say, "thank you so much", once again. it may sound crazy, but your post meant a lot more to me than one can realize, perhaps. i appreciate and love the personal anecdotes. and i'm so sorry your mother isn't here anymore.
i could have written that. i already have music for it. wonder if i could use it... always give credit where credit is due. i can even include "in joy your summ" and "happy easter to all my friends". how can i get the rights?
i swear, i was totally hooked on infrared photography in college. graveyards were a favorite subject. loading the camera was a pain in the ass, though, as i didn't have a special bag for it (not many dark closets in the graveyard), but even so....