WISH

WISH

 

This small word carries a powerful punch through a couple of fantastic times of the year....the "Christmas Season" and Birthdays!

"We WISH You a Merry Christmas

and a Happy New Year" 

and 

Blow out your candles and make a Birthday WISH!

 

Come along with me on a little stroll down memory lane as I use pictures from Christmases and birthdays throughout the years to express my feelings of word #9 on my list.....

 

One of the Christmas family traditions passed from my parents to me is the sending of Christmas cards.  I love to send and receive these heartfelt greetings at Christmas time.  My style is to include a family picture.  I kinda go with the theory that "a picture is worth a thousand words".  The challenge then becomes to change things up a little....and show a bit of personality???

 

EXAMPLE:       

 

 

Here we are in 1997, the inside of the card read:
 During the rush of the season, let's all take time to laugh
 and enjoy life.
You're part of our happy memories 

 

I LOVE the years when there is a major event in the family
....like a wedding, 2007,

 

  1999.... was the year we traveled to Washington DC, New York and Pennsylvania

 as a family.  It was the "trip of a lifetime" so I chose a family photo taken in New York

 to be featured on our Christmas card.  We never imagined back then,

 what this picture would eventually mean to us.

Interestingly the inside of the card read: "May the timeless message of Christmas

 fill your heart with joy today and always"

At the time we had no idea that within a few short years the city skyline behind us,

 as well as our innocent sense of security and freedom would be changed forever.

We had a double whammy in the WISH
department being that Gary's
"Grandpa Kesterson's" birthday was ON
Christmas Day!!  Our Christmas Eve
celebration always included a birthday cake
with everyone singing Happy Birthday 
and Grandpa making a WISH!!

As for my own WISHES:

 

 

I WISH that everyone tried to be as
 humble and kind

as Raleigh Russell Kesterson. 

 

I adore Jonathan's expression as he watches his Great-Grandpa -   1984  (cousin Holly too) 

 

 I WISH that everyone put their God and their FAMILY first 

like Gary Lee Rogers. 



1997 celebrating Gary's 40th birthday at the cabin!!

 

I discovered something as I looked through a few photo albums to choose Birthday candle blowing out pictures to use in this post, and it was noticing the faces of those who were watching or looking on!  To me, these are tender expressions of love among the family, sharing the moment!!

 



I WISH that everyone would take the time to REALLY get to

know others and appreciate them and value them 

like Jonathan Lee Rogers.

 

Jonathan and my Mom would always share a birthday cake as their birthdays were 3 days apart.
Here they are on Halloween night (Mom's birthday) 1993

 

I WISH everyone was as good natured and shared their happy heart

as Megan Ann Rogers Webster.

 

1997 - of course we were squeezing in birthday cake after dance class!

 I WISH everyone had the passion for life and was as loyal to those they love like Emily Joy Rogers.

 

1994 - this is how I decorated birthday cakes....simply frost it and then stick some kind of do-dadl on top along with the candles.......I know - lame! 

I WISH everyone loved in the unconditional way my Mom did

Doris Mae Weaver Schlessman

and

 How I WISH she could have lived to meet her Great-Grandkids!

 

2000 - Halloween Birthday girl - LOVED birthdays!

 

I'll include this final picture as my very favorite Christmas Card. 

Why is it my favorite?

Because it is "our" family together...I love EVERY SINGLE person in this photo dearly, I more than WISH them to

know this....

 

Christmas 2011 - Cannon's FIRST CHRISTMAS

 One more thing.... I really, really, WISH I had backed up my computer.  Especially when I had those distinct strong feelings that I needed to back up all my photos.  My computer crashed several months ago, well, it didn't just crash, it died, and it appears that I lost the past four years of my digital photography.  This really makes me sad, and explains why there has been a huge delay in my blog posting.  This is a lesson learned in a very hard way. 

 

I do NOT WISH that misfortune on anyone.