I took this photograph over the weekend during a family barbecue. Aunt Bessie is 98 years old. My new granddaughter Brooklyn is only 8 weeks old. When I look at the two of them it feels as though I am looking at the whole of a woman’s life – the history of girlhood and school days, of friendships and lovers and work and marriage, the fierce new love a young mother feels when she holds her sleeping child, and the fierce grief a woman lives as she strokes her dying husband’s hand. Can you see it? All that has happened in the creases and lines of Bess’s beautiful face, and all that is yet to come in the smooth angelic face of my baby granddaughter. A life nearing its conclusion and one that is just beginning. The circle of life, strung out between their two ageless spirits like the glistening white pearls of Aunt Bessie’s necklace.
All the art of living lies in a fine mingling of letting go and holding on. ~Havelock Ellis
See other (nearly) Wordless Wednesday participants here.
bookbabie 
Lovely photo and post! Thanks for sharing.
Those are the best types of pictures, beautiful.
What a wonderful photo! I loved reading your thoughts on it – so true! Thank you for visiting my blog and commenting on my little one’s photo. Congrats on your granddaughter – she’s beautiful! 🙂
so true, and so very precious. Here’s my WW hope you can stop by!
How lovely. great post.
That picture is so perfect, it brings tears to my eyes. What a beautiful moment!
Beautiful!
Happy WW!
Kasandria
What you said is so true. I always comment over my daughter’s perfect posture. Little kids have perfect posture. Have you ever noticed that? They don’t begin to slouch until the weight of the world is placed upon their shoulders.
Wow, stunning capture and such eloquent thoughts.
What a wonderful post! And such a sweet photo. Thanks for your touching words.
If you’d like to visit my blog I’m at http://cakecrumbs-heidi.blogspot.com
What a gorgeous photo! and I love your blog.
That is an absolutely stunning photo and post. I have tears in my eyes. Both girls are beautiful and you have to be so overwhelmed to look upon them that way. 🙂
What a fabulous picture. That truly is the Circle of Life… Aunt Bessie is a beautiful woman –to be 98. WOW!!!! Brooklyn will cherish this picture when she gets older.
Hugs,
Betsy
That is a beautiful photograph!
I think I have looked at this picture 10 times. I love it. Beautiful…
Oh yes, I see it. And both your grand-daughter and Aunt are beautiful in their own way. Blessings to them both.
I love the phrase “circle of life” ~ I wrote a post recently where I remembered my late grandfather (who died aged 100+) and about my expected new grand-daughter and mentioned the circle of life, It is sad and yet heart warming too ~ to see the old and the young together.
Jan
PS: I am writing a protected post today ~ e-mail me if you’d like the password.
What a beautiful photo…. but the words behind it are even more beautiful…
what an amazing image!
oh Bookbabie! that photo is a gift !
beautiful thoughts. thank you!
Thank you for visiting my blog and leaving such a nice comment….your blog is so beautiful and your words so lovely!
I will be back.
I am heading to Ireland today to see my mum…I’ll appreciate every minute with her, thank you!
Thanks again!
Here I have linked to my photo-a-day blog instead of my card blog 🙂
Sue
Precious. Beautiful. A photo so endearingly about the circle of life.
Oh, it’s so beautiful and poetic. Looks like it should be on a time magazine cover!
Look at that emotion! Pure, unadulterated love..
Beautiful photo and beautiful sentiments. I’m so glad I’m a woman and not a man. They will never know the depth of feelings that we have…
Thank you for sharing this photo with us…..it speaks volumes.
Beautiful pictures and beautiful words. Amazing.
What a beautiful sentiment and photograph! So glad I happened by your blog.
Amazing photograph and thoughts to go with it – wow!
very beautiful picture 🙂 🙂 and nice blog 🙂