a family story

I want to share a story with you all...it's good, it's true and it's part of Tara's family tree which makes it all the more amazing to me. A few weeks ago, as we were unpacking some boxes, we came across some of Tim's old family pics. We thought they were lost, mislaid, gone forever... so you can image how ecstatic we were to find them! Tons of pics of Tim as a baby, Tim's dad in the military, childhood pictures of memories long forgotten but now...all right here in our hands! It was like finding gold...except better!! I was especially relieved because I am making a scrapbook of Tara's family tree...I want her to know all the pieces of herSELF, the truth of where she comes from., her ancestors, her lineage. So here's the particular story I want to share...

           (that's Tims's mom on the right with jazz great Lionel Hampton in the middle)

Tim's mom was an amazing jazz singer...amazing! When she was really young (from about age 18-22) she lived in New York for some time...This was the twenties...Harlem was experiencing a cultural revolution ...a creativity explosion...that's her in the pic above with jazz legend Lionel Hampton. She met Duke Ellington...yeah...the Duke Ellington! Now there are tons of unanswered questions...did she sing at the Cotton Club? , did she ever meet Billie Holiday? sing with her??? what was her stage name? ...Oh! I wish I wish I wish...we had the answers. But she met Tim's dad, fell in love, gave up on her dreams and had 4 children (Tim being the last...she gave birth to him in her 40's)...she never really talked much about her early life to Tim so we can only guess. I have never met her...she passed a while back. But this is all part of Tara's history...I want her to know it.

(painted hands!)

Oh! And little Tara has been busy busy busy...painting and coloring up a storm! She wants to say hi!