“Remembering Mom” — Photo-Artistry by kenne
Remembering mom —
you wanted her
to be perfect,
but she was first
and foremost
a women.
— kenne
Archive for the ‘Virginia Chapman’ Tag
Remembering Mom 4 comments
a women.
Remembering Virginia On Mother’s Day Leave a comment
July 14, 2008
“Mother’s Day” Joy and her mom, Virginia (July 24, 2008) — Image by kenne
Two photos and
ten years out —
Houston to St. Paul
mother and daughter
road trip sharing
memories and
time together.
Now,
separated by time
on this Mother’s Day
there will be no
Mother’s Day call
only memories of
past calls and photos.
— kenne
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Photos Found, But Never Lost 3 comments
Virginia & Chase
Jana, Chase, Great-grandma & Jill
Jana, Great-grandma Virginia, Chase, Jodie & Justin
Joy
Virginia, Jill, Joy & Justin
Justin, Virginia and Jana
Chase & Grandma Joy
The Woodlands, Texas, October 10, 2004 — Images by kenne
(CLICK ON ANY OF THE IMAGES TO SEE A LARGER VIEW IN A SLIDESHOW FORMAT.)
After Virginia passed away this past April, I began going through photos to have in a video. I thought I had identified all family images with her, however, recently I was looking for an old document and discovered untitled images misfiled in a folder, “Master Plan ISD.” I wonder how many others I may have misfiled.
Lost Photos, Now Found
Not lost until they were found —
Found, but never lost.
— kenne
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Now That You Are Gone 1 comment
“Saying Goodbye I” — Image by kenne
Now that you are gone
Images and words flash by
Moment after moment.
I count syllables
To say how much we love you
This my own bye-ku.
— kenne
“Saying Goodbye II” — Image by kenne
“Everyone understands the pain that accompanies death,
but genuine pain doesn’t live in the spirit,
nor on these terraces of billowing smoke.
The genuine pain that keeps everything awake
is a tiny, infinite burn
on the innocent eyes of other systems.”
— Federico García Lorca
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Traveling I-10, Again 1 comment
“The Dining Room Table,” A Still Life — Images by kenne
In a little while we will be leaving Tucson, driving to San Bernardino to be with family as we celebrate the life of Virginia Chapman, Joy’s mother.
Since Virginia’s death, we have spent time reading Marie Howe’s powerful book of poems, “What the Living Do.” In a time of grief, her poems provide instruction for the living, one of which I share with those who follow this blog:
The Dream
I had a dream in the day:
I laid my father’s body down in a narrow boat
and sent him off along the riverbank with its cattails and grasses.
And the boat — it was made of bark and wood bent when it was wet —
took him to his burial finally.
But a day or two later I realized it was my self I wanted
to lay down, hands crossed, eyes closed. . . .
Oh, the light coming up from down there,
the sweet smell of the water — and finally, the sense of being carried
by a current I could not name or change.
— Marie Howe
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Virginia Chapman — Giving Love Without Having A Reason 5 comments
Virginia Chapman On 85th Birthday (June, 2009) May she rest in peace! — Image by kenne
What made Virginia special
was understanding that love
is something you give
without having a reason —
maybe that’s what makes
some women so special.
— kenne
With Virginia’s passing, the family and friends will not be celebrating her 90th birthday this June, at least not as planned. In lieu of our not being able to share her 90th birthday celebration, I share a video of her 85th birthday party celebration.
Virginia Chapman’s 85th Birthday Celebration, June, 2009
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A Mother’s Love Returned, Laboring In Gratitude 11 comments
Jeri, Mother Virginia, Joy & Jody (July 8, 2012) — Image by kenne
Less than three weeks ago, Joy was in southern California planning her mother’s 90th birthday celebration with sisters Jody and Jeri. This past Tuesday, she returned, this time to her mother’s deathbed. This afternoon Virginia passed away peacefully. She is survived by her eight children, many grand and great-grandchildren.
The only thing greater
than a mother’s
undying love
is the combined love
returned to her
by those she loves,
laboring in their
song of gratitude.
— kenne
Becoming is Superior to Being 