This Is...

This is a little girl. The little girl's name is Anna and the man whose lap she is sitting on is her father Joe. Joe is currently waiting for the bus that will come pick him up and take him away from Anna.  From his family. The men behind Joe and Anna are also waiting for the bus. They too are saying goodbye to their families. What you see in the picture is a moment of happiness.

This is Anna mother behind the camera. You cannot see the tears rolling down her face or the smudged red lipstick on her chin. Lily met Joe when they were just 17. They were married a year after that and they had Anna just 6 months after their wedding. Now, 4 years later she never thought that she would be saying goodbye. Joe did not know, Anna did not know but Lily knew that this would be that last time Anna and Lily would see Joe.

This is Anna kissing her father goodbye and telling him she loved him one last time.