Like Father, Like Daughter

Monday, November 15, 2010

Undoubtedly, one of the best things about this temporary living-with-my-mom situation (aside from free rent & food) is the tendency to stumble across pieces of my childhood on a daily basis. Yesterday, my mom & I came across a box of long-forgotten photos from the '80s; among them were a few of my parents & their friends at my favorite place on earth, my dad's friends' cabin in the Pennsylvania woods. I was pleased but not all that surprised to find this gem of a photo:


On the far right, in blue? That's my dad, & those are three of his high school best friends - who are all accomplished hunters - shooting at clay pigeons. My dad, who was not an accomplished hunter but rather an accomplished race car aficionado, was not a particularly good shot, so his friends are backing him up so that the skeet he misses doesn't go to waste.

Why does this photo matter? Well, for starters, I love finding anything to do with my dad, who passed away when I was 10. And secondly, this photo looks mighty familiar. Not because I've seen it but because I've lived it:


On the far right, in blue? That's me. Next to me is my "cousin" Patrick, who's shooting back-up for me because, well, I suck. Patrick's father is the guy in the first photo who's wearing a red shirt, crouched down to launch the clay pigeons; he was my dad's closest friend & has remained a close family friend even after my dad's death. In the 2010 photo, the guy in the red shirt crouched down to launch the clay pigeons is Anthony, one of Patrick's best friends from high school & now one of my good friends, too. Patrick invites his friends to the cabin every August, which is where I met Nathan, who's now my boyfriend. Does this feel karmic & poetic & touchy-feely yet?

And that's not all!
 

As the Jewish people say, L'dor vador - "from generation to generation." Some things never change - & I'm so glad for it.

17 comments:

  1. This gave me chills. So happy that you have wonderful ways to remember your dad! <3

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  2. Isn't it nice to discover old memories? ;)

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  3. Awww,this is such a sweet post! It made me smile! Thanks for sharing!

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  4. what a lovely post! i love looking through old photos!!

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  5. I LOVE old pictures from when I was a kid or even back when my parents were kids...they're just great!

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  6. Oh fun! I love those old pictures. Very nice post!!! Also, the guy standing next to your dad in the first photo resembles Zach Galifianakis and the second photo on the porch totally looks like it could've come from The Hangover.

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  7. Aw I absolutely love this post. It makes me want to dig out photos from boxes that are still packed away upstairs. I, too, am thankful for some things never changing. ♥

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  8. This is cool...I love when stuff like this happens. :) What an awesome keepsake & memory!

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  9. One of my favorite posts from you. Love. :)

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  10. This is such a sweet post! I love it; it's great to see what things run in the family from generation to generation, right!? Thanks for sharing!

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  11. I love everything about this post. I'm tearing up and want to hug you. Have I ever hugged you?

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  12. This is awesome! What a lovely way to remember your dad! :)

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