Today I rifled through a large number of photo boxes looking for the photo I remembered so well--a photo of my boys with their cousin Joseph who just passed away. As I went through the loosely organized boxes, I found the photo I was looking for and more, so many more photos of Joseph and so many other good times throughout life.
How do we organize all those photos? How do we react to a look back in time, the kind of look back that fills us with all kinds of memories.
As I looked back, I decided that I would turn a number of the collections into stories that relay meaning of some kind for me and for those I love. For example, I found several photos of significant moments in my relationship with my husband. I want to put those together into one book, and then there were many photos of a place that has meant a lot to my family over time. I'll create a short film or photo book with those photos too as I want to keep that special place in our life and make it the destination for family reunions going forward. There were photos that marked our lifelong traditions hiking in the mountains, playing at the beach and celebrating family holidays. Perhaps I'll make a mountain, beach, or holiday photo memory video or book--the kind of book we can take out as we prepare for the holidays. And then there were the family history photos--old black and white snapshots of people and places we know something of, but not all.
Now it's time to ready for the memorial service. I'll push the boxes into a corner to revisit in time. Our lives are journeys and looking through old photos brings us back in meaningful ways to remember the good times and people we've had and known. Onward.