Umbrellas In the Snow

A Wintry Day (1900) (Courtesy of Library of Congress)

Sharing an umbrella is symbolic of weathering the storms of life together, and is a popular theme of  paintings and postcards to illustrate love and friendship. Here are some beautiful examples:

Couple Under Umbrella In the Snow by Suzuki Haronobu (1725-1770) (Japanese Ukiyo-e Print, Courtesy of Library of Congress)

Postcard (1913) Courtesy of tuckdb.org

Postcard (1904) Courtesy of tuckdb.org

Postcard (1912) Courtesy of tuckdb.org

Postcard (Circa 1910s) Courtesy of tuckdb.org

Postcard (1901) Courtesy of tuckdb.org

Postcard (1908) Courtesy of tuckdb.org

Christmas Postcard (1911) Courtesy of tuckdb.org

Christmas Postcard 1904 Courtesy of tuckdb.org

New Year's Postcard (1912) Courtesy of tuckdb.org

Valentine's Day Postcard (1906) Courtesy of tuckdb.org

Ownership

Photo by GLady (source)

We really do not own anything until we begin to share it with others, and even then we are only partners in its ownership.

We all own the daylight, the beauty of earth, all the sunsets, every flower that our eyes see and admire, and every song our feathered friends give forth. Where appreciation is, there is ownership.

No one can long be happy with any possession that he cannot share with others--it would soon grow dusty and useless.

It has often been said that the only things that we keep are the things that we give away. We may give away the thing, but keep the love--and love is something that spreads out, with never an end to it.

by George Matthew Adams from Sunshine Magazine, February 1958