Pictures are Memories

When we moved Mom into assisted living, one of the most daunting tasks that we faced was her picture collection. Tucked back in a forgotten closet were many boxes of our family pictures. We had moved them three times already, but at last the time had come to deal with them.

When my sisters gathered at our house at Christmas, out came the pictures. A look of dread came across everyone’s faces as we realized how many pictures there actually were. As we dug into the boxes, it became a magical carpet ride into our family’s past. We laughed and cried, remembering both the good times and the sad; remembering we were all young once.

Now when I visit Mom, I always take a handful of pictures to share and spark memories and conversations. I even found letters that she had written, in German, to her parents when she was in nursing school.

I almost feel sad for this generation. We have tons of pictures of them in bits and bytes but few that we can touch. I hope those family memories are preserved for generations to come.

P.S. Take pictures of people not just scenery! Greg and I wished we had more pictures of the young us and fewer pictures of the Grand Canyon!

~Jan