It was the first speechless moment I’d had in a long time – and I’m rarely lost for words…
My father had a huge trunk full of loose photos that had belonged to my grandmother, Lisa, who immigrated to the US from Norway in her 50’s, to marry my grandfather. Very few of these photos were labeled, and I had sat up late for several consecutive nights going through them, and scanning the many extremely small photos that must have been quite popular back then. I had to scan and enlarge them just to get a good look at the faces and places, all of which still went unrecognized. About halfway through what was seeming like a very un-fruitful job, I picked up this tiny little photo, scanned it, and to my amazement, recognized the names on the stones as being my grandfather’s parents in Norway. I knew little about them besides their names at that point. Seeing this very tangible proof of their existence brought them to life immediately for me. I would love to have yet another speechless moment, paying my respects in person, if someday possible.
