There once was a boy, who lived in Montréal. When he was ten when his father passed away. When he was thirteen he got special permission to leave school and go to work. He started working in a Bank, he was the runner. He went from office to office delivering files and mail. Without this job there would have been no food to eat. This same boy, although thirteen, had no front teeth. He was hit by a car in an alley in Montréal and although money was given from insurance it was better used for food instead of teeth.

One of the biggest reasons I wanted to become a photographer at a young age of twelve is because there were very few photos of my parents,  and then again very few of myself and my eldest sister. You just didn’t spend money on photographs it was deemed frivolous, or for the elite. I chose early on to be the one to document our family. It was a gift I was given and I feel I have used well over the years.  My Dad as one photo of himself and his younger brother when they were quite little and a photograph of his parents when his Mother was pregnant with him and last but not least a photo of his whole family. That is all.

When one of my Dad’s sisters saw J this past July, she commented on how much he looked like my Dad when he was younger. She asked if I wasn’t shocked. I replied, how could I be, Dad has no photos of himself, do you?? She does apparently have photos of him, but has not offered them up.  Another Aunt-in-Law in going through photos found one of my Dad and realized that he should have it and brought it when they met up for a celebration this past summer.

This is my Dad.

This photo was taken in July of 1951, a few months before his thirteenth birthday. His last summer before he had to quit school and go to work.

And this is J. This past summer, August 2011 at the age of eight. He wouldn’t smile for me even though he knew I wanted to try to replicate the photo. I didn’t have a cat or a dog to sit on his lap, in fact we are at Saunders Farm enjoying summer and letting the kids just be kids.

He and my Dad came from the same mold. The same stock. They act alike, they think alike and when things get really crazy, they finish each others sentences.  There are no questions of who J takes after, it is not me or Hubby, it is his Grandfather, through and through.

I couldn’t be more proud that J will grow up to be just like Dad. I know he will and does have his own quirks and traits, but in truth, if he going to take after someone why not someone who has worked hard for 61 years. Someone who has been there for me, no questions asked for 41 years.  I couldn’t be more proud of both of them.

I’ve been syndicated!

Yesterday I wrote a post #NoMoreBullies. BlogHer picked it up in syndication so that we can spread the word about bullies. I feel very blessed that anyone even read my post. My voice at Life is Good …At the Beach has been quiet lately and I was just telling a friend of mine that I hadn’t posted in so long  I felt like I  needed to make it count. I needed to say something that was important to me. #NoMoreBullies is so important to me I lead off with it.  I have a few more related posts in the hopper, but for today, please head over an read yesterday’s post on the BlogHer network.

We need to take a stand and let everyone know that it is not ok to be bullied. It is not ok to be a bully. If my post can reach one person and get them to change, then I am a happy girl. If we all took a moment to talk to children about being bullies, or shared a story from our past about being bullied with others, it is possible to change how kids behave now. It is happening each and every day. I don’t want to have to teach my children how to rise above bullying  but I have to. At the same time my children know that I won’t tolerate bullying from them. They know that others can be hurtful but they also know it is not because of them, it is that other person who is hurting and using words or actions to express their hurt. The bullies are trying to bring you down to lift themselves up, they could be insecure, jealous, ignored. They could be bullied at home by other siblings or their parents. Whatever their reason for being a bully, we need to help it stop and let them know it will no longer be tolerated. Take the time, talk to your children, friends and other parents, spread the word. #NoMoreBullies

I received payment for this post and I can’t see a better way to pay it forward than to donate the money I was paid, along with a matching donation from my own company to Youth Net they are helping Majic 100 with the #NoMoreBullies campaign.