A glimpse of the past... about pigtails

I recently got together with some of my extended family at my Aunt BJ and Uncle Bob's 40th anniversary party.  Every time I see my aunt, she shares with me a little story or tidbit about my grandmother or grandfather (Muzzy and Pop), my dad and uncle's parents. Both of them have passed away, Pop in 1986 and Muzzy just recently in 2008.  I love these little tidbits that give me a glimpse of the past.  It will usually be about some interesting trinket they found while going through Muzzy's house, or one of their little quirks or sayings, or just about an event that happened a long time ago.  The last time I saw her, she gave me a small clay pitcher that she said they found in Muzzy's house just before it was torn down (hidden behind the curtains of the laundry room window).  Evidently there were two - one that my dad had made, and one that my uncle had made when they were kids.  I'm so happy to have that little pitcher sitting on my mantle :)

So this time, at the anniversary party, Aunt BJ did not disappoint.  It was a nice family/friend affair at my cousin Laura's house, and Matt and I brought Jillian, who got to play with all of her second cousins.  About halfway through the party, Aunt BJ came and sat next to me, leaned in and said "Everytime I see Jillian in her pigtails, I think of Pop."  I looked at her, with a bit of a question in my voice, "Really?"  She said "Yes.  When your mom and I were young and dating your dad and Uncle Bob, we used to wear our hair in pigtails when we would hang out at the house.  Pop always liked them and would make comments about us in our pigtails."  That really made me smile... I can remember old photos of her and my mom laying on the front lawn sunning or on the boat in their bathing suits and long pigtails (and this was back in the early 1970's).

It got me thinking about Pop too.  He passed away so suddenly when I was 12, and I really missed him growing up.  I still think about him alot, and know that he would completely love Jillian.  He had this thing that he would always mispronounce my sister's name (her name is Kristin), calling her Christian.  No matter how much he was corrected, it was always Christian.  Maybe it was part of his Baltimore accent.  But I wonder how it would be if he knew Jillian.  I like to think that he'd have a big smile on his face when he saw her running around in her pigtails, and call out to her - "Jill-yun"  :)


Pop's little Jill-yun