Moments Captured #4 - The Light of Smiles

 "Every smile makes you a day younger." ~ Chinese proverb

 

It's a quiet morning today. Nothing pressing to steal me away, until a chiropractor's appointment in a couple of hours. (Ugh - it's a "pain" - literally and figuratively - to get older!). But let's not get side-tracked on the "complaint caboose". Keep chugging along here.

So, I was just browsing through old photographs because I wanted to share some of my favorites again. I'm never quite sure which ones will catch my eye and spark me to include them. That's what makes this kind of entry fun for me. I wind up stumbling over some hidden "pearls" that I hadn't appreciated like I do now. Such is the case today.

Today's theme is "The Light of Smiles". Here are a handful of favorite pics of mine because I love the smiles that they captured. And those smiles ignite the same in me every time I see them.

Izzy and me at the beach - August 2015

This 1st photo is just precious! There is nothing like the pure smile of a happy dog! Izzy just loved going anywhere with us, but especially to the beach. She would run and run and run until she couldn't run anymore. And then she would just sit on my chest and smile. She died two years ago - and I miss her still today. A few tears when I think that thought...but mostly smiles remembering her love. 

Deborah and her cousins - June 2016

“The people who make you smile from just seeing them, those are my favorite people.” – Koi Fresco

One of my truly favorite photos: Deborah and the Hindy boys: her cousins (Robbie, Billy, and Tommy). This was my 1st chance to meet all of them with her. Sadly, what brought us all together was the funeral for their mother, Deborah's Aunt Mabel. Deborah loved Aunt Mabel dearly, and her sons were like big brothers to Deborah. She had told me many a story of them laughing, rough-housing, and teasing her, and deep down, I could tell she loved their attention. I took this picture at the restaurant we all gathered at after Mabel's funeral in order to remember and celebrate her there. It was a great afternoon - filled with love and smiles - as you can see. 

The Schnorenberg clan - "BAM!" August 1998

My family often got together for special "events" (traditional, i.e. Christmas, and imagined, i.e. "BAM!). And the gatherings almost always "required" a family photo to be taken to record the occasion. This photo (taken by then son-in-law Andy S.) is one of my favorite family shots. The occasion: "BAM!" 1998: A BBQ/Bragging rights summer event that we held for 9 years every summer (named after the inimitable TV chef Emeril Lagasse and his pet phrase when cooking!). The men cooked and bragged. The women judged and laughed at the men bragging. And we all smiled. My, my. Look how young and fresh-faced we all looked 25 years ago. It was rare to get the whole family together for this; we did this year.  A great family memory. 

The siblings and Mom - February 2019

And here we are much later. A little broader in the beam. A little grayer. My Dad is no longer with us. But smiles can still be found at the Ranch. 

Deborah and her parents - Cheers! - Solvang CA 2017

¨Better by far you should forget and smile than that you should remember and be sad.¨- Christina Rossetti

Deborah's parents live in southern California, so I've only a few occasions to meet and visit with them. For many years, we would arrange to meet somewhere in California and spend a few days together. Our last visit like that was in August 2017 when we met them in Solvang, a cute Danish town in southern California. They took us to Rusack Winery there, one that they belonged to, and I took this picture while we were eating lunch and enjoying the wine. The smiles of all 3 DeMattias here makes me smile. Danny Moe was a real character: New York Italian through and through. Generous. Full of stories. And you can tell in this picture that he loved his daughter...and she loved him. He too has passed away. A silent "Cheers" to Danny Moe from Jonny Teach (as he liked to call me).

Pinning a rose on the groom - May 21 2021 FLA

One of the proudest moments in both Deborah and my lives was when we celebrated her son Dan's marriage to a beautiful woman, Krystal, last year.  It was a moment that for years, we both wondered if it would even happen or if we'd even be there. No need to explain why. But it happened. And what made it even more special was that Dan and Krystal asked me to officiate their wedding - a first for me. And I proudly did. This photo taken by their photographer is of me fumbling through pinning the rose on Dan. I treasure seeing his smile. We had traveled a long road as stepfather and stepson in the 16 years leading up to this moment. I am proud to have been a father figure that he could rely on. And I'm humbled by the love that is silently expressed in this photo. Priceless. 

But to end this entry, there still is only one smile that is absolutely GUARANTEED to lighten my heart...to brighten my spirit...the smile that my eyes always seek...and fall in love with over and over...

Me and Deborah - TIPS Work Party June 2017

It doesn't matter where we are. At the beach. Working at the Foundation (like above), or in the front yard. Out on a date or just hanging out at home. Deborah's smile is a welcome beacon in my life for the last 17 years. And for many, many more years to come. 

 “Smile, it is the key that fits the lock of everybody’s heart.” – Anthony J. D’Angelo

Thanks, Sweetie...for opening my heart. You fit perfectly.