Just last year, my family and I celebrated my Grandfather’s 90th birthday. I brought my thrifted, sometimes finicky Olympus OM10 and captured the day. It wasn’t until I got the photos back that I fully appreciated the beautiful life he and his late wife, Mary Ann (whose name I carry), built together.

A foster child born after the Great Depression, my Grandfather raised six strong women while trucking across the country to provide. Despite life’s challenges, he remains a positive, grateful man. These moments capture 90 years of living and the generations who made those years worth it.

During an era of disparity contrasted with opulence on the daily, my grandfather is a pillar of reflection to remember that a happy life lives within the simple things.

Instagram: @maryspammn