This photograph was taken in 1949 in Athens, GA. It was used as promotional material for the University of Georgia and the woman standing in front of the mirror is my grandmother, Terry Mathews, otherwise known as “Goose” to her 8 grandchildren, 2 great grandchildren and a handful of others who adopted the name as well. She was in her sophomore year at UGA on the cusp of true adulthood.

In the following months her mother would die and she would leave school to marry my grandfather. Shortly thereafter, my mom was born followed by her little brother and two sisters.

In her 86 years, Goose has been dealt her fair share of pain and heartache, but thankfully, a large helping of the good stuff too. She’s a voracious reader, has an insatiable curiosity about the world, loves a great glass of wine at the end of the day and makes a sour cream pound cake you’d sell your first born for. She’s taught us kindness and compassion and how to fight for what we believe in.
I look at this picture the same way I look at pictures of myself before I met my husband, before my kids were born. A girl who’s story was still unfolding and not yet ready to be told. This is my gorgeous grandmother before she became Goose. ~shared by @jor124yarbrough