An amusing Christmas gift ... 2006

 

This is a photo taken in 1936 of me (bottom left) and three of my four sisters. Only our middle sister Nancy, always the rebel of the family, was brave enough to actually refuse to be part of the photo.

You can tell that none of us wanted to have our picture taken and can almost hear the big sighs and read our secret thoughts … "you can make us pose but you can't make us smile."  

Fast forward to Christmas time 2006.  I had received a package from my oldest sister Mary (top right), now in her 80's.  I couldn't wait to open it because one thing you could count on with Mary was that her gifts would always be "one of a kind".  

It wasn't Christmas day yet but I couldn't wait.  The package held a nicely wrapped small box and I couldn't imagine what it could be. I tore off the paper and found a framed copy of the picture you see above. She'd had it beautifully framed and it came complete with a lovely card that read "Merry Christmas, Joy & Peace". 

It's evident that old age had not robbed her of a good sense of humor and it still remains one of my favorite gifts.