Everything sublime is as difficult as it is rare. Baruch Spinoza

Friday, September 11, 2009

Musing on Mothers, Faces and Saints

When do we become our mothers?
I have this photo on the sidebar of my other blog. I haven't actually looked at it, not really. But somehow my eye was drawn to it and I realized if I removed the glasses I would be looking into the face of my mother. 

I didn't look like my mother when I was young, not even when I was of middling age. But as I am creeping along the short side to sixty, low and behold; it's the face of Kate staring back at me. That same weary, bemused look. The same face. Is this some strange twist of fate that all women end up looking like their mothers?

I almost wrote saints preserve us. Now I'm going to start talking like her too.

20 comments:

Memories Of Mine said...

I'm pushing closer and closer to 40 but I don't think I look like my mum yet however, her personality trait of worrying is starting to creep in over the last few years.

Memories Of Mine said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Lorac said...

I really don't know when that happens. I don't look like my Mom but I sure sound like her! Better to look like our Moms than our Dads! LOL Have a great weekend.

Anonymous said...

:-D I know, sometimes I just catch myself in the mirror and see my mother staring back at me!

Bonnie Zieman, M.Ed. said...

I don't look like my mother, but sometimes I "see" myself behaving like her, and I hear myself sounding like her.

Very disconcerting, isn't it?

Actually, some of my mother's ways were quite pleasing and it is not the end of the world to be like her. However, that is not what I thought in my early 20s.

Judy said...

I will get a glance of myself in a mirror and I see my mother as well. She is slowly creeping into my appearance. I guess she has always been there but my age is bringing her out more. If I start talking with a German accent like her then I'm in trouble!

Ms. Moon said...

We were talking about turning into our mothers in yoga class this morning. There were only three of us there. All in our fifties. The other two women agreed that yes, they were turning into their mothers and I said that whenever I notice myself doing that I kill myself.
They laughed uncomfortably.

Sandra said...

Liss, you're too young for this particular phenomenon, give it another 15 years or so! I think worry comes with motherhood.

Lorac, I used to look like my dad, but as I age I guess looking like my mother is preferable, as my dad is bald. : )

Jo, catching site unexpectedly is always a shock, at least for me. I need time to prepare myself, to get my mental image in place before I actually see my image. Maybe that's why I saw my mother this time.

Bonnie, I don't want to start sounding like her. It's hard enough to find I have become her in the mirror. It's spooky.

Judy, very funny! My mother has a soft lilt, so If I ster sawing things like "sure 'n begorrah" I will know I'm in trouble!

mss. moon, I'm a little uncomfortable right now. You'll change your mind when the inevitable happens!

Ashley Dumas said...

I think that I kind of look like my Mom. Now more than before. But I also looked a bit like here when she was the same as me. Sienna looks ALOT like my Mom so we are probably right on track to have the 'same' face as our Mom and Grandma in some years : ) The good news is that I love my Mom's face : ) Hurray!

Ash

Britwife said...

I WISH I looked like my mother. She is totally a greek goddess. I unfortunately got none of the goddess looks.
I do sound like her "Rice Street" though.

Homer and Queen said...

I see my mom everytime I look in the mirror...creepy...

Ganeida said...

Nope. Look like my dad, sound like my mum... sometimes. She can be very acerbic so not a good thing. Liddy looks & sounds like her [skipping generations thingy?] & that is just a total freak out. On the other hand I was totally spooked going through photos Ditz took recently to find Liddy & I looking exactly the same! Hand movements; walk; stance; head tilt. And I know people can't tell us a part on the phone.

Sandra said...

Ashley, I see the family resemblance between you and Sienna. It's not really a matter of liking mother's face or not, it's just weird to see the old, mom face looking back at me!

Britwife, a Greek goddess with a 'Rice Street' accent. Sort of like a beauty opening her mouth and Brooklyn comes out! I love it! (I'm from St. Paul & know the north end : 0 )

Queen, it is sort of creepy.

Ganeida, Sometimes acerbic works pretty good! It's amazing how photos can tell us what our eyes don't see!

Deb said...

Oh Boy! Did this hit home! I recently returned 'home' to be near my mom who is turning 70 in a couple of months. She still colors her hair and I don't So she's a vibrant red head and I'm a silver head. In the last six months I've been asked if I were mom's sister, her mother (!) and told over and over how much we look alike. I love and admire my mom, see the resemblance and still it is shocking. This change in my face...all the self portraits I did for my secret challenge has helped. I know that face in the mirror better now. I think I like it better too!

Sandra said...

I could see someone asking if I am my mother's sister, she is only 20 years older than I am. But her MOTHER, well I would just curl up and die!

Deb said...

Sandra, I just considered the source and laughed. People get very confused about my grey hair. They don't know what to think...I'm comfortable with it and like it most of the time. My mom does look young when she's feeling well. Her shiny red hair definitely adds to her youthful appearance. See my birthday post for a pic of the two of us together. I'll send link. No need for curling and dieing! Ha!

Deb said...

Oh dear, I just imagined I posted our picture on my bday...June was so long ago! Ha, must be early memory loss...
Can't paste in comment box...oh well.

Sandra said...

That's funny. Imagination is a powerful thing. : )

julochka said...

i see my mother's hands when i look at my own these days, but it's my father's face that increasingly looks back at me from the mirror. i'm not sure how i feel about any of it.

Sandra said...

I have my mother's arthritis in my hands. I could have done without that.