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There once was a young woman named Kisagotami who lost her three year old daughter. Kisagotami was distraught beyond measure. She wailed and cried and in her emotional pain she went from house to house begging for some medicine or drug to end her suffering but none was to be found. She lay on the ground, pulling her hair and rending her clothes in her deep sorrow and grief. She held the lifeless body of her young daughter to her bosom and nobody could persuade her to release the dead child.

Finally one of the villagers suggested that she go and ask the Buddha in his grove.  Kisagotami sought out the Buddha and asked “Learned One do you have a medicine to end my pain? I fear that I shall die if I do not get some relief. The Buddha looked at her with deep compassion and said “Yes I have such medicine but you must bring me the ingredients.” Kisagotami said “Yes! I will. What are they Lord? Tell me and I shall bring them. The Buddha said I require only a single mustard seed but the seed must come from a household where no child, spouse, parent or dear friend has died”.

Kisagotami nodded and ran from house to house and asked for a mustard seed. The householders readily agreed but when Kisagotami asked if a member of the household had died every time the answer was yes. House after house she tried and always the same. Suffering was in every household. Deaths of children and beloved parents and spouses each house held their own stories of loss. Gradually Kisagotami came to the realization that sorrow and loss affected everyone and was a part of living.

Okay so here’s the lowdown. I found 4 sets of medium format negatives while I was thrift shop hunting a few weeks ago. They were sitting in a box of old vintage photographs in these plastic sleeves, and from what I could tell, they had been taken sometime in the 50’s. So obviously I brought them home, and today finally had them scanned in, and holy wow they are beautiful!!