My Mama

Words & Photography
by Joey Milano

"The best portion of your life will be the small,

nameless moments you spend smiling with someone you love."

- Ritu Ghatourey

My Mama. She is the glue to our ever-growing family — the source of infinite wisdom and belly-aching laughter. I woke up this morning missing Leucadia (and two little girls) very much, yet moments like today confirm we are where we are supposed to be right now.

To have her laughter echo off the floors, to have these walls soak up her beautiful accent, and to sit around our table listening to hilarious stories — these are the simple moments of life that my heart has been longing for...

In the over eight years of married life, I’ve never had the honor of having Mama over for lunch. She has never seen any of our seven previous homes, and I didn’t realize how much I was missing that small detail until today. To have her laughter echo off the floors, to have these walls soak up her beautiful accent, and to sit around our table listening to hilarious stories — these are the simple moments of life that my heart has been longing for; the memories I will cherish so dearly as they make this house our home.