Resemblance

Looking at a picture of my daughter from her birthday the other day, and I always have to smile because I just adore her so very much.  Today, I looked at some of the ones that school sent to me again, just because.  And there is this one, where she’s wearing her birthday party hat and she’s looking at the mini-cupcake in her hand with this little smile on her face and she looks so much like my mom.  She just does.  And as I write this, with a lump in my throat, I realize just how much I miss her in everyday activities like looking at a picture and in the big moments like celebrating a 2^nd birthday.  Big and small moments alike, I miss my mom no matter what.   My mom was stubborn, strong-willed, sometimes very nasty, funny, smart; she loved reading books and loved anything to do with ancient cultures in Italy and Egypt.  She wasn’t a very lovey-dovey mom, although sometimes she came through with caring and emotions.  I hope my daughter has inherited her smarts, her love of reading, and I am pretty sure she inherited her smile; Emily has my smile, which I noticed yesterday, and I have my mom’s.  Every time I look at her from now on, I will see a little bit of my mom.  It makes me cry, which is great since I’m sitting at my desk at work (ugh), but it also makes me happy too.  Right now, it’s still hard for me to picture my mom without looking at an actual picture.  To see that smile and to realize it’s my mom’s, makes me feel like I will have a piece of her with me as long as I have my daughter with me.  That’s kind of cool. Sad, but cool.