Pain & Pleasure

The last four weeks, I’ve been reliving the past. We were retrieving the Easter decorations from our storage unit when I spotted what I thought was a memories bin. You know, kids’ art projects, newspaper clippings, and beloved greeting cards.

After getting the stuffed bunnies and crosses placed around the apartment, I opened the bin only to find photos. Lots of loose ones and negatives, and not many dates on anything except the outside of the bin and on one old gift bag filled with pictures.

Going through a memories bin would’ve been simpler.  Just keep or discard. Mostly the latter. But photos take more time and concentration. I decided I would work through this bin of the “lost years” in on evenings when I would normally watch TV.

After many evenings and Saturdays of shuffling, sorting, marking, and organizing into albums, I finished! I am proud to say six newly-filled photo albums grace our bookcase.

The process of looking through those pictures gave me pain and pleasure. Most of the pain was mental – trying to figure out what year each photo was taken. I resorted to using as a gauge my daughter’s childhood hair styles – or where we were living. There were twinges of sadness, too. The pleasure came in the form of reminiscing and outright laughing at some photos. I texted certain ones to family and friends and copied others for my son, Ray’s albums. Why not spread the joy around? Mostly. My daughter, Kellyn texted an Ugghh along with a few Awws and LOLs. I’m looking forward to discovering what the next bin might hold.

Do you have projects that have been put aside too long? Have you kept family photo in bins and boxes? Or have you placed them in albums or on Shutterfly projects with precision? I’d love to hear your project stories and advice.

“Beautiful memories are like old friends. They may not always be on your mind, but they are forever in your heart.”

Susan Gale