STORIES ARE MEANT TO BE TOLD

If I could somehow tell my younger self something

and change the path of my 61 years of existence,

it would be

"Ask more questions, write down the answers and share with others"

Yesterday and my sister, Veronica and I sat down with stacks

of old photos we began to try and figure out a few things.

She is 16 years older than me so her memories of our life

and my memories are hardly the same.

Jesi was also here sharing photos and we began to ask

the questions:

"When did Dad go to photography school in Chicago?"

"Was it before he married Mom, before serving in WWII?"

We didn't know... we had not asked the questions and if these

things were known, we were not aware of it.

We continued to go through photos....

and my Daddy's own photos told the story we were trying to write.

This is what we found.

There was a very old photo with the writing behind it:

Chicago 1938.

He would have been 20 as he was born in 1918.

We know the photography school was 18 months and that 

photo had to have been taken right before he left Chicago

and came back home to Golden Meadow.

We also know Momma and Daddy eloped and Mom

was in 11th grade and quit school to marry Daddy.

When he returned he would have almost been 20 

which would mean Mom was between 17 and 18.

Our biggest question was, did he go into WWII already 

as a photographer...

then we found this beautiful and amazing photo in

a stash of very old ones...

My handsome Daddy in the war holding

his prized camera.

Although he did not have time to start his photography business

before he served in WWII, he had completed his courses.

He came back home from Chicago to marry my Momma,

have two children and then be in a War.

Now this story is written here for all those who have

come after us who may wonder.

Ask the questions, young ones.

Speak to your elders, listen to their stories document it.

When you are young you think none of this can be important,

what the older generations have to say.

One day you may be like me, loosing yet another 

family member and wonder what stories they took with them.

Thanks to all who have thought and prayed for us 

Collins Clan.