..

Are you asking yourself, "How can she take this photo?" I guess that's a good question.

First of all, I needed to take it. Secondly, sometimes it's so much easier for me to deal with something if I'm looking through my lens.

My mother never expected to be sitting watching her son die, but she is, at the age of 82, doing just that. They've reconciled a lifetime of separation in just a few days and this image breaks my heart for that reason.

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Comments

gumby* says:

It is terrible and impossibly beautiful.
How could you not take this photo?
x
Posted 6 months ago. ( permalink )

Sue, Toronto says:

Very strong emotional impact and very beautiful image.
Posted 6 months ago. ( permalink )

SteveFE says:

What they said. Am crying my eyes out here. Serious.
Posted 6 months ago. ( permalink )

Venerable Kalense says:

Oh, Anne.
Posted 6 months ago. ( permalink )

Lynn Morag says:

What a tough situation for you all .... I'm really glad they were reconciled. And this photo is going to be a huge comfort in time to come.
*Hugs* xx
Posted 6 months ago. ( permalink )

lawatt says:

lynn is exactly right... such a poignant image
Posted 6 months ago. ( permalink )

Mig Bardsley says:

Straight from the heart and achingly beautiful.
So so good that they were reconciled and that you have this image to speak of it so movingly.
Hugs from a relative stranger.
Posted 6 months ago. ( permalink )

veronuchika(y-tu) says:

this photo is so touching and completely speaks for itself :(
im so sorry about your mami and your brother. i hope that you and him had a good relationship.
Posted 6 months ago. ( permalink )

torontofotobug says:

Yes, we were close our whole life until five years ago when we had a falling out. We've patched it up now.

My mom told a funny story that encapsulates my brother in a nutshell. He and our sister Debbie (his twin) had a paper route when they were about 8 years old I think. He bullied her into helping with the deliveries, but insisted that she spit her gum out because it wasn't "business-like" to chew gum in front of the customers. I have to laugh because that tells so much about him. He was the only one of our family to be born with a silver spoon in his mouth and nothing about that changed, ever. He's like a character out of a book, really.
Posted 6 months ago. ( permalink )

Look at the view says:

Oh Anne, I can only echo what others above have said and to offer lots of virtual hugs. This is a hauntingly beautiful image.
Posted 6 months ago. ( permalink )

torontofotobug says:

Michael died today, July 6, 9am at Princess Margaret Hospital. He was surrounded by his friends and family and went peacefully. He was 52 years old.

My brother was a character; lovable, eccentric, charming, elegant, infuriating and a true original. I always said he was a changeling, dropped into this century, dropped into this family, from some royal lineage of a far grander time than this.

He was an impeccable dresser, a perfectionist in everything he did. Bow ties, Brooks Brothers, silk socks, handstitched evening slippers, Bentleys and Mouet et Chandon.

He had flair, he had style, and most of all he had a mind of his own. If you left the room to get coffee, your livingroom would be rearranged by the time you got back, the couch against the other wall, the books in the bookcase rearranged by colour. That was Michael.

He knew how to throw a party, the best in the city. Back when Toronto was just a pissant little town, Michael showed them all how it was really done. .. he was the butler everyone wanted, the personal valet, the chauffeur, the caterer, the event planner before there was such a thing. His Titanic theme parties every April were whimsical and wild. His family, his impressive client list, and most importantly, his wonderful circle of friends who enriched his life every day, I think we were all so lucky to know and love him.

I could go on and on, but my heart hurts thinking that I'm never going to see him again.

Thank you to everyone who made Michael's life so rich and interesting. We'll miss him, but none of us will ever forget him.
Posted 6 months ago. ( permalink )