Photo and Other Thoughts

Photo and Other Thoughts

Welcome to Christianity Oasis. This is Photo and Other Thoughts from our Sojourn With Luz Leigh Collection. We hope you enjoy this enlightening reading and it helps you on your own be-YOU-tiful Christian walk.

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Sojourn With Luz Leigh

Photo and Other Thoughts

Written by Luz Leigh - 04 July 2009

There I sit in the unmowed grass with a very determined look on my face. Even at the tender age of eleven months, I was not excited about having my picture taken. Still not one of my favorite things to endure. As far as I can determine, this is the earliest picture of me. It could win a prize in an early American redneck poor Southern child photo contest.

Anyone who could tell me where the picture was taken is dead and gone. There is a house in the background that resembles the unpainted wood frame house that belonged to my grandparents, but there is an unfamiliar shed to the right. Then there is a portion of a house that I seem to be sitting behind and there was no such house near my grandparents' home. Only really familiar thing is the black iron wash pot in the background. But then all houses had one of those when I was a baby. At least all the houses I ever knew anything about.

My hair was dark, short, combed with a part on the left side. I am certain that the child in the picture in me; had very distinctive ears. With no one left to dispute it, I could find a picture of a lovely little girl, dressed in frills, cute little shoes to match and with her hair combed just so and declare it was me. But then, folks would look at the picture, take a look at me and ask, "What happened?"

The next pictures I see are definitely of me and I know where they were taken. I was thirteen months old, toddling around in the front yard of my daddy and mother's home. My daddy, with a big grin on his face, is encouraging me to walk toward him. His old Ford coupe is parked outside the front yard fence. In the next picture my maternal grandmother is standing in the background as I continue my trek across the yard; the swing attached to the big oak tree is visible. Apparently Daddy had just completed the task of putting that swing up for his darling little girl to swing in because there is a ladder leaning against the tree limb. The porch of the house with the hanging baskets, that contained some sort of plants, and wooden railings to make sure the toddler did not fall from the porch are visible.

In that same picture I can see my daddy's Sunday Stetson hat laying on the ground as he played with me. I would guess the day to be a Sunday because he was wearing his suit and tie, something he only did on a worship day (or to attend a funeral or some sort of formal function). I was wearing a little sweater over my dress that had a full gathered skirt, just long enough to cover my cloth diaper. Little black patent leather shoes and white socks completed my outfit.

Back to the tree. As of this writing in July 2009 it is still standing, giving shade to the fourth generation of my family. Beth sleeps under that tree which gives shade to their home; or sits in her mother's lap on the front porch of their home and one day will walk underneath it just as her great-granddaddy, her daddy and I did. With the Lord's blessing, her home will not always be there, but will be situated out in the country on land her daddy inherited. Lord willing, I want to have her picture made as she takes steps under that tree. Maybe next 4th of July that could be something for our family to do. Even if David's family is not living there, I hope the tree is still standing.

When Heather was about three years old she had a little swing, the kind that we refer to as porch swings. Sometimes she would lay in her swing until she went to sleep in the afternoon.I would leave her there, letting her rest under the same tree. We have a picture of her taking her nap in her blue wooden swing that her daddy put up for her.

Ahhhh such good memories.

Our heavenly Father has blessed our family with being able to keep this tree, and the land on which it is situated, in our family for over a century. The land has been home to four generations of our family plus numerous others, who over the years, have been afforded refuge there as they sought to get their lives back on track. May it always be so. A refuge from the storms of life.

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