Can you believe it is October already? The weather is getting cooler, and days are getting shorter.
As nature’s cycle winds down it can be a good time to clean out closets, garages, and other places where years of items sit in boxes and on dusty shelves waiting for us to take some kind of action. That action can feel overwhelming, but if we don’t take the steps, often the problem is solved for us by a disaster through fires, flood, or a leaky roof, destroying t
hose things that held so many memories. Or an urgent need to downsize where we have to quickly muddle through strong emotions.
Isn’t it better when we can make choices? Often people don’t know where to begin and it is usually not an easy process because it is a task filled with emotion and memories. We wouldn’t have kept all of those things if we didn’t find some kind of value in them. It’s not about the “thing,” it’s those memories that they hold for us.
Most of us have a difficult time asking for help, but this is a good place to start. Possibly organize a downsizing party enlisting family and friends, breaking the tasks down into manageable segments, such as categorizing keepsakes, linens, kitchen items, etc. These days fewer adult children want family memorabilia so an idea might be to give family and friends the option of going through these things and taking what they want. As items are sorted someone could take on the task of photographing the keepsakes for a precious memories scrapbook.
Again, with adult children not wanting the keepsakes, it is often heartbreaking for a mom to say goodbye to a set of fine china or precious linens that once meant home and family. Create a lasting memory by setting a beautiful table and having one more wonderful meal before the tableware goes to a new home. Take photos of the family around the table. A photo could be taken of mom with her china or linens, and she could tell about her experience of buying that china, and what her dream was as she made her purchase. She could share her memories made with those pieces and record them for a scrapbook.
With years of many keepsakes and old toys tucked away in boxes, how can we make the memories live for generations to come? How about taking a photo of the adult “child” holding that toy and writing a memory of that toy? In a dusty old box, the keepsake has little meaning, but the photo and written memory is something that can be shared every day.
Things are only as real as the memories we have of them. And we should put time into making that “thing” have one last life by recording that memory.
Written by: Kat Mendenhall
PHOTO ORGANIZING IS A JOURNEY
I have found myself falling behind in getting my monthly photos saved. And it is so easy to let one month become three, and then soon a year is gone.
Getting your old photos in order is a major accomplishment but keeping up with good habits is an entirely new accomplishment! Each month you save your photos from the previous, you are setting yourself up to end the year well. You can easily make a calendar, an annual photo book, and much more. My favorite is creating collages, and text, plus adding the photo to my Nixplay digital frame. I have to brag; I have 3 of them now. My workshops are coming up in October, November, and January. Looking forward to seeing you there.