Making My Mom's Day/Seeing Myself in the Family

I just ran across an old photograph that was so gnarly I almost tossed it until I had a closer look. I scanned it and I was able to bump-up the exposure a bit but I couldn't correct skin tone or anything else. The original photo is much darker, and when I first looked at it I thought it was me, although I didn't recognize the baby. 

 I've held a few babies in my day and photos were taken, so I thought it might be one I'd forgotten about. There's a photo of me holding my niece when she was a baby, and the expression on my face is very similar to this person, who as it turns out is actually my grandmother on my mom's side. This is obviously a print from the original, because this photo would've been taken about 65 years ago. 

 I showed it to my mom, still thinking it was me, to see if she knew who the baby might be, and she recognized it as her mother Auberrie. The baby happens to be my cousin Nancy. I told mom I thought it was me. "You did?" she asked. I told her I could see my face in Auberrie's, or vice-versa, and it made her day. 

 I was really young when she died way too early from Diabetes, but I still have an image of her sitting at the table, and I remember she always had a sweet smile on her face, as you can see here if you look closely. Mom was thrilled to hear me say that, and it flipped me out a little too. There are so few photos of her, and it was the first time I'd ever noticed a resemblance between my granny and me and I reckon it made my day too.

 At first I thought it was me...hair and all. I guess it's how the genes work. It was a nice thing to share with mom and I'm pleased it made her happy. For me it was an honor and a flip-out...the good kind. Have a nice day, and remember your ancestors.