A lovely day

With today's theme of memories, my Mono Monday blip is a photograph of me and my niece Amanda taken when she was about 18 months old.  It is one of my favorite photos, and has been the wallpaper on my computer screen for years.  I'm adding the original color photo as an Extra.

When Manda was born, I lived in Chicago and I met her for the first time at three months.  When I saw her next, she was eleven months old, not quite walking independently but happy to dance while holding my hands to a Bruce Springsteen song.  The next time I saw Manda, when we were all visiting my parents in Florida, she was running and jumping. It was because I couldn't bear to miss more of her growth and change that I moved here to Seattle when she was two.  Being in her and Sarah's lives has been my greatest joy.