Gratitude to My Mother and Father for the Gift of Life

March 15, 2020 · Photograph

I love my mother and father, with all my heart, for giving me life! Everything after that was a great, great bonus!

Metal ranch gate sign with a silhouette of a rider on horseback following a calf, under a cloudy sky over a fenced pasture.

Three smiling men in western wear indoors, labeled Leksi Pete, Leksi Phil and My dad.

A person in a feathered headdress and white fringed buckskin standing beside a horse on a lawn.

Two riders on horseback in a rodeo arena as a black cow runs ahead; the number 114 is written on the photo.

Small blurry picture of a man standing in an arena beside a saddled horse.

Vintage photo of two young men in white shirts standing in front of a brick building.

A smiling couple in front of a house numbered 404, the man in a light jacket and bow tie, the woman in a white coat and red dress.

Four older adults standing arm in arm before trees, one man wearing a white cowboy hat.

An older woman, a man in a blue puffer jacket and an elder in a white cowboy hat and patterned jacket standing outdoors.

Two women and two men in coats standing together in a hall, one man in a cowboy hat; dated 10/81.

An older man in a tan jacket and a woman in pearls seated at a restaurant table, dated 1993.

A smiling woman in a floral dress beside a smiling elder in a white cowboy hat and red western shirt.

An elder in a cowboy hat and red shirt with his arm around a smiling woman in front of a white doorway.

A man in a western shirt and bandana and a woman, both wearing name tags, smiling together.

A smiling man in a cowboy hat and white shirt beside a woman in a yellow cardigan, next to a saddled horse with a rope.

Black and white photo of a smiling man and woman seated under a fringed umbrella.

A young man with long hair in a red vest talking with an elder in a cowboy hat, both holding cups.

A rider in a full feathered headdress and white buckskin seated on a horse on a lawn.

A rider in a cowboy hat cutting a calf away from a herd of cattle in a dirt arena.

A man in a teal shirt raising his cowboy hat high at an indoor gathering.

A man raising his cowboy hat while people walk behind him at an indoor gathering, one person in a wheelchair.

Vintage photo of a young man standing outside holding a western saddle.

Close-up of an elder in a white cowboy hat and patterned scarf, seated in a wicker chair.

An elder in a cowboy hat holding a plate at an outdoor buffet table on a wooden deck.

Oval black and white portrait of an elder holding up a feather.

Five people posing together: two women, an elder in a cowboy hat holding eagle feathers, a man in a ribbon shirt and a man in a suit.

Portrait of a smiling elder with gray hair in a maroon shirt.

Vintage photo of a shirtless young man pushing a toddler in a wheelbarrow of leaves.

Black and white studio portrait of a woman and man gazing at a baby in the man's arms.

Faded photo of a man seated with a smiling young child.

Vintage photo of a young man sitting in a classic convertible car.

An elderly couple embracing and smiling in a restaurant booth.

Black and white photo of a rider in a cowboy hat and chaps cutting a cow from the herd in an indoor arena.

A smiling elder in a white cowboy hat and colorful geometric-pattern jacket.

Cutting horse photo with the words: Become one with your horse! Dakota Elder, Phil Lane Sr.

A man in a teal shirt and jeans raising his cowboy hat at an indoor gathering.

Black and white photo of a rider in a cowboy hat cutting a cow from a herd in an indoor arena.

Sepia photo of a young man in a dark jacket standing on grass in front of a vintage car.

An elder in a cowboy hat and red bandana talking with a man in a plaid shirt and a boy on open prairie beside a car.

Seven elders wearing medals posing together, four standing and three seated.

Photo of a rider cutting cattle with the words: Know where you are coming from and where you are going! Most of all know who you are traveling with!

Polaroid of four people: a woman, a man in a black hat with braids, an elder in a white cowboy hat and red bandana, and a man in a purple sweater.

An elder in a white cowboy hat and patterned jacket seated at an outdoor table with three smiling women near a lake.

A smiling older couple standing in an auditorium, dated 1999.

A group of older adults sharing a meal at a table with a white tablecloth.

A smiling woman holding a blue blanket and eagle feathers beside an elder in a cowboy hat holding a beaded bag in a green meadow.

An elderly couple seated together with a younger man and woman standing behind them.

An older couple in a garden, the woman in a white dress and the man in a red ribbon shirt and cowboy hat.

A smiling couple embracing beside a car, the man in an orange western shirt and cowboy hat.

Polaroid of a smiling couple sitting close together in an armchair.

Black and white photo of a couple standing arm in arm on grass beneath a large tree.

A young woman, a man in a feathered headdress and an elder in a cowboy hat standing before a woven rug.

Two smiling adults on a sofa with an elderly woman in green between them.

Five people posing together: two women, an elder in a cowboy hat holding eagle feathers, a man in a ribbon shirt and a man in a suit.

Vintage photo of a shirtless young man pushing a toddler in a wheelbarrow of leaves.

Seven smiling men standing outdoors in front of a row of young trees, one in a cowboy hat and patterned jacket.