Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you. ~Deuteronomy 32:7
Family photos are priceless heirlooms we can pass on to our children and grandchildren one day. They will recognize our pictures, of course, but what about their great-grandparents? Aunts, uncles or cousins whom they've never met? If meaning and context aren't attached to their ancestors, why would they even hold on to a past when they feel no connection with it?
While I do have some photos and albums stored here at the house, the amount Danny has is overwhelmingly vast. The reason? When my brother and I clean out our mother's home after her passing, I take the letters between family members to sort through and he takes the photos in order to do the same. Sadly, neither one of us has made a lot of progress to date. Danny's recent project to tackle and sort through all his bins (yes, bins!) of photo albums inspires me to get a move on!
It all begins when he finds these made-in-America plastic containers created especially for photo storage.
As you can see, he has labeled each collections of related photos. He is so fortunate that pictures of his grandparents, cousins, aunts, and uncles have been passed down to him over the years. He also knows that if these photos remain in those adhesive-backed albums, they will not last as long as he would want them to.
I love watching the painstaking process unfold while learning more about Danny's family at the same time.
When Danny had hair!
Danny and baby brother Dominic.
This is but a miniscule example of what Danny has accomplished thus far, but you get the picture (yes, pun intended). Not only has clutter been reduced and unwanted photos tossed, but the streamlined look of these plastic cases can be conveniently stored unlike those cumbersome bins in which they once resided.
Now there is an easy, accessible way for us to remember the days of old and consider past generations, while leaving a legacy for the generations who will follow us.
Amen!
Are you creating photo memories for your children and grandchildren? Let me know in the comments.
And don't forget to visit The Christian Lounge during Holy Week!
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What you are doing is a great gift and legacy for your future generations. If you have time, also write a history of your past to leave for them to read: where and when born, schools attended, friendships, relations ... that sort of thing. I have done this and kept printed copies for their private use to learn of their past. Also a small family tree as I remember it.
ReplyDeleteThank you for mentioning The Christian Lounge.
God bless you and your family.
Thanks so much, Victor, for your encouragement to leave a written record to go along with the photos. I plan to do just that, and I'm happy to know that you've done the same for your children. There are so many things I now want to ask my parents and grandparents, but they are no longer here to tell me. I don't want our grandchildren to feel that way in years to come.
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First, I'm trying to figure whether to take offense at the "when he had hair" picture. A few of them could find their way into my photo album, although I never had as much as him. i was a pastor after all! :) Just kidding of course. I love looking at old pictures. My brother's wife found old pictures of us and put them together into a personal album for each brother (4). It is cool. Me? I have pictures but who has the time (or desire) to go through all of them. I confess: not me. Maybe someday my great grand will decided to do so. but I doubt it. To answer your question: no I am not. Maybe when I'm in my 100s and have nothing else to do, I will get around to it. LOL
ReplyDeleteYou are too funny about the "hair" photo, Bill! No, Danny doesn't mind when I say things like that because he pokes fun at himself all the time. I think that's wonderful that your brother's wife made personal albums for each of you - quite the keepsake for your daughters and grandson to treasure down the road. I do love your optimism about reaching your 100s, too. Me? Not so sure!
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Family photos are such a gift. Enjoy!
ReplyDeleteThey are, Diana, I agree. I'm looking forward to sorting and labeling them all.
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The post is an inspiration - we have boxes of family photos stored in the basement. Time is marching on, and I have work to do!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad this post reminded you to "get 'er done," Glynn. I just talked to my daughter yesterday and they are coming to visit when school gets out. That gives me even more impetus to tackle the project and get as much done as possible so the grands can enjoy these.
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Although I still have a lot of old photo albums from the time we were married and through the earlier years of all of our children, etc., I also have lots of photos that were never put into albums, but are still in their little envelopes from the place where they were developed. I have actually categorized those into plastic bins just the right size to hold them, and basically have them organized by years rather than people. I have an old cedar wardrobe that I refinished a few years ago and put shelves in it to store all of those bins of pictures. So they are pretty well organized. However, the sad thing is all the photos I've taken since I got a digital camera have not been developed onto paper, so they are on little memory cards or usb drives, and who knows if the technology will be able to open them in the future? That makes me really sad, but I just can't manage or afford to have all those photos printed. So I really don't know what will happen to them in the future. That will become a problem for my kids to figure out someday, if they really care to do so.
ReplyDeleteYou are organized, indeed, Pamela! I'm in the same boat as you when it comes to all the photos stored on my computer. I've labeled those and I'm simply going to have to trust that our kids (Giovanni and Nicco are computer whizzes) can figure it out with whatever new tech comes along in the future. What I miss having are the photos of parents/grandparents to share with the grands at the moment as my brother has them. His son was supposed to get them transferred to a jump drive, so I do hope we will see the photos soon.
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Good for Danny! I am jealous.-Christine cmlk79.blogspot.com
ReplyDeleteHe has done a fantastic job with these, Christine. Sure makes for a less-cluttered house!
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I am very impressed with the way Danny is storing the photos. I would love to know where to purchase the plastic containers. While I was on my trip to Ireland, granddaughter Tori and Sam went through many of his mom and dads photos...sorting them out. Honestly, it is a big job and for this reason I admire Danny for working so hard on this project. It took me a few years before I learned to respect and appreciate the old photos of my grand parents, even my great grandparent. Hoping my kids will find the appreciation sooner than what I did. Happy Last Day of March Martha.
ReplyDeleteI'm impressed, too, Shug. Danny ordered these containers called IRIS USA 4x6, 2-pack photo organizers and photo storage box with handle. The box measures 15x12x5 and each box contains up to 100 4x6 photos. You can find them on Amazon. They cost about $25 per box, but it's well worth the investment. And I hear you loud and clear about wishing you had cared more about old photos of grandparents, etc. At least, I know that they're in good hands with my brother. So good to hear that Tori and Sam already started sorting through old photos of his mom and dad. It is a time-consuming task but worth every minute.
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This is close to my heart! I'm the recipient of lots of photos and memorabilia from my family. I'm the oldest and it was passed to me when my Dad passed almost 3 years ago. I've been going through it and am in the process of finishing a book. I'm almost done, but am now typing up letters he wrote to my mom when he was in the military. I've greatly enjoyed documenting the legacy of faith in the family.
ReplyDeleteGood for Danny for doing this. It's a lot of work!
Oh, wow, Mari! That is a fantastic project to have undertaken on behalf of your family and those who will come after you. Very time consuming but worth every stitch of effort on your part.
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I seem to be the keeper of all photos - even the really old ones dating back to the late 1800's. I've inherited all the photos, from my parents, my sister, grandparents a great great aunt after they passed - they always end up with me! I'm still going through them! It gets overwhelming so I'm impressed Danny keeps plugging away at it. Let us know when he's finally finished.
ReplyDeleteHave a blessed week, Martha! I appreciate you very much.
Another keeper of the kingdom, I see, Debby. Yes, it can be overwhelming and it isn't something that anyone should try to rush if you want to do it right. Danny has organized most of it so far which is amazing to me. Once he gets started on a project, he's like a terrier with a rat - he just won't let go. LOL!
DeleteI appreciate you, my friend.
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wonderful post and scripture dear! I thought that days ago, I can no longer ask my mom questions about the family. She passed days ago and was ready. So grateful that she is free with Dad and with God and ancestors. Visiting my husband in the care home is a moving privlege and duty. I just poured the love into him and appreciate how much the people there are good people and take good care of him i'm working hard to not let it overwhelm me the grief of it but of course god is walking with me any angels and keeping me from Despair as I processed grief thanks for letting me share dear it means a lot when I see your comments everyday you definitely spread the spirit aloha
ReplyDeletesorry for the bad punctuation! I think you know my heart
DeleteYes, Cloudia, I do know your heart after my many uplifting and inspirational visits with you at your beautiful blog. It takes courage to be as transparent as you are in your comment here. There are so many things I wish I could ask my parents and grandparents that I neglected to, so I'll have to wait until I see them again in heaven. In the meantime, I'm determined to leave a memoir for my grandchildren, both in photos and in writing, so they will understand what life was like when I was growing up, and encourage them to ask questions before they can no longer do so.
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How wonderful! In these times, it sometimes seems that family traditions and keepsakes have been forgotten. But I feel they are so important!
ReplyDeleteI feel that they're important, too, Ginny. As I mentioned to Cloudia, there are so many things I wish I'd asked my grandparents while they were living but never thought to do so. I'm also going to put together a memoir of sorts so that they will understand what life was like before computers!
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Many (most) of my family photos have been passed on to one of my sons who asked for them. Danny's storage solution looks great.
ReplyDeleteIt certainly has worked for him, Barbara, and if your son wants to store photos more efficiently, check out my comment in response to Shug's inquiry above in the comments so you can pass that info on to him. Danny is always looking for better ways to unclutter and streamline our storage spaces.
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I have taken all the old photos I had and digitized them. They can be shared with everyone with just a click of a finger. No more boxes of crumbling black and white shots. Danny has found the perfect way to preserve the photos, though! So much better than photo albums. Kudos for finding such a great storage solution! And Happy Easter!! xo
ReplyDeleteThat's a great move to make, Terri, when preserving our photos for the generations to follow. I can perfectly identify with your description of those crumbling black and white shots, too. There is one of me on my first birthday in my "bouncy seat" when I'm jiving to an Elvis song. I'll never forget the caption she wrote beneath it: "All Shook Up." I think my brother has that album.
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Oh, this hits to one of the biggest mistakes in my life. Five years ago, my husband had serious heart failure. He was supposed to die. My son a cardiologist recommended we sell the house and get into something smaller and easier to handle. The house sold right away. I was like Danny - I put every picture in books and labeled them and kept them in order. I had bins and bins of them. So, I thought I can't move them here. Didn't think I should pay for storage. So, the weeks before the move I ripped all the pages out of the books - took the pictures off the pages and sorted them to go to every family member and boy was that a huge mistake. Now I can't see them, and I don't think the family either kept them or know where they are today. I am so sad.
ReplyDeletePeople keep your pictures and organize them.
And after all that my husband experienced a miracle and is alive today!
Oh, Sandie, how sorry I am to hear this about the decision you had to make in a drastic time for Rick and you! You are giving such timely advice to all the readers here in light of your miscalculation: If you have to move, take the memories with you! Then, take the time the Lord gives you to explain to future generations why and how these people made a difference in our lives. Danny and I know that we are so much better for knowing Rick and you and being able to get together is a gift from God, dear friend.
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Kudos, Danny!
ReplyDeleteMy daughters have gifted me with writing journals for preserving family stories. And so, in January this year, I decided to preserve our stories by writing - not in the journals - but writing a memoir - which I'm about to publish as my legacy for my children, grandchildren, and generations to come.
And kudos to you, Debra! The last time my daughter and SIL were here with the grands, Virginia (the oldest grand) told me that she wanted me to write a memoir of what I remembered about my grand and great-grandparents. I'm determined, God willing, to do just that. It is a noble, and necessary, undertaking to leave a legacy of love, dreams, challenges, and promises that God has provided as we encounter His love. I'm so excited for you and your project!
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I have often fought against family history events. As a young child I thought it was boring. Boy was I wrong. The stories of our ancestors matter immensley to who we are today and where we are heading tomorrow.
ReplyDeleteKatie, I'm guilty as charged. We do take for granted the presence of those in our families and mistakenly think that their wisdom and experiences will be there always, but time tells a different tale. We are choosing to be proactive so our children and grandchildren can be given some context for who they are and why they are so treasured.
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Hooray for Danny! Thankfully, my parents were diligent about preserving kinfolks' images ... but nothing like what Danny's accomplishing. You've given me the germ of an idea ... thank you so much!
ReplyDeleteKudos to your parents for preserving so many photos, Myra! I can't wait to hear more about the germ of the idea that Danny's project has given you. Our youngest granddaughter has expressed interest in her ancestors, so that makes me even more motivated to dig deeper.
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Like you, I have an almost overwhelming number of photos and genealogy info. I did write a short booklet of family history but want to fact check everything in it before I print a couple copies and distribute them to family.
ReplyDeleteOverwhelming describes such a project perfectly, Terra. I think it's wonderful that you have already written a family history, but will fact check before you print it. What I would love to leave for my grands are stories that only I could have heard from my parents and grandparents, and help them to understand the context of that time and place.
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Dear Martha, I love all your photos! Kudos to Danny! I have worked on my family tree but haven't got very far, most likely because of my lack of knowledge in this aspect. I think it is great to learn about our ancestors.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Linda, for your words of affirmation for Danny here. He has certainly taken on the lion's share of responsibility for this task. Learning about where we hailed from, I believe, can inspire future generations to show grit and courage to persevere.
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I love photos and have many on the walls of my home and in photo albums but need to go through what I have and write on them who is who
ReplyDeleteOh, yes, Jo-Anne, writing down the who is who and the what is what is indispensable for the generations that will follow us. May we all be careful to tell the stories that give meaning and fullness to the lives of the ones we love.
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Wow! That is so organized. I think I would go straight to digitizing them. We have an online app, FamilySearch where we not only chart our family history, but you can add images and memories. It's an amazing resource that anyone can contribute to collecting memories.
ReplyDeleteThat is a great suggestion, Crystal, about FamilySearch. I'll have Danny look into it. Praying that your endeavors will fulfill God's will for you!
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Family photo projects take lots of time. I did lots of scanning and still got more left. Doing these kind of projects, you end up looking and thinking a lot. Time consuming but very enjoyable too. Good luck with yours, Martha.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Bill! Yes, these projects do take so much time, but in the long run, I believe it is worth every moment that I can spend to insure that my grandchildren know and appreciate the people that made their lives possible.
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Kudos to Danny for getting the family archives organized! Our older son is digitalizing the best-of-the-best photos so everyone in the family can have access. We're identifying and dating as we go those photos not already labeled. Archival boxes hold such keepsakes as family Bibles (one dated 1865!), a few other old books, handwritten recipes, letters, etc. And our younger two children are doing research on their ancestors to see what else they can learn. I've also written blog posts about their great-grandparents; they'll have those too. Though we've discarded many photos and mementos of lesser value, we probably still have saved too much!
ReplyDeleteA Bible from 1865? Oh, my, Nancy, you have me on that one! I love that your older son is digiltalizing all those best photos to share with the whole family. So many memories should not disappear when we pass, but be lovingly passed along to our children and grandchildren. Yes, it's too easy to save too much. As I look through my photos, I think there will be some I can toss.
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What a great idea. I honestly wish I had the patience to organize pictures. I don't even organize my sewing patterns!😆
ReplyDeleteIt is a great idea that Danny had and now it's my turn to do the same with the photos I do have here in the house, Regina. My goal is to have something put together before the grands come to visit once school is out. We'll see how it goes.
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Martha what a wonderful way to preserve old photos and organize them as well. This is a great project for those long winter nights. May have to check them out next year...spring is here for now and that is a job that will have to wait...the garden is calling me. Hugs - Have a Blessed Easter friend.
ReplyDeleteThis is absolutely a great project for those long winter nights, or the too hot and humid days of summer to be outdoors, Debbie. When I lived in a place where I could have a garden, that was certainly a priority in the month of April. Living in a forest doesn't afford us the ability to grow anything but the natural beauty that God has germinated in our environment. May you Easter be a treasured day, too!
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I love looking at old photos, Martha. I'm sad to say, mine are not as neat and organized as Danny. I did create scrapbooks years ago to give my kids on special days: graduation from high school and college. My mother-in-law has her photos organized in plastic containers as well. She's 90 and has a way to access what she's looking for! God bless!
ReplyDeleteMama Friday is a wonder, isn't she? I love seeing her traveling with y'all; she reminds me so much of Danny's mom who we miss so much. I think that's wonderful that you made scrapbooks for your children to commemorate special times in their lives. Since our grands will be here after school is out, I'm going to make every effort to get my own photos organized so it will make sense to them and resolve the many questions they have.
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Love how Danny is organizing all this! What a gift this will be for future generations and a gift to us too!
ReplyDeleteOh, it will be such a gift to the generations that follow, and now I'm determined to organize the photos I do have here for my children and grandchildren. My daughter, SIL, and the grands will be here with us at the end of May, so I have a tangible goal to attain in the time between now and then. So good to know that you're home!
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Please forgive me (again), Martha--what.a week it has been for us--running around like crazy with one unexpected urgency after another. I've been totally out of routine all week and just now getting to attend to one of my favorite people's post, which blessed me and warmed my heart in a lot of ways. I've been telling people for more years than I can count that every family needs at least one person to be a "caretaker of the family stories." Obviously, if someone fails to do that, the stories die with those who lived them. As you've probably heard me mention, I didn't know anything about my father in my early years and for most of my life at least half of my family history was a dark, empty hole. Even now, after Diane and I did an extensive, years long genealogical investigation, and some incredible "God moment" discoveries, there is so much I don't know, and cannot know, about who the people whose names i've discovered really were. If I had something like what you and Danny have been doing, and are still doing, it would be a priceless treasure to me.
ReplyDeleteSo, thank you once again for blessing us with a visit to your home and a window into your heart. Your post has obviously touched and blessed many others, and our prayer is that the fruit or your labor of love will be multiplied for many generations to come, and that God will use all of it to promote the Kingdom Jesus came to establish. After all, because of what He did for us, we really are a part of the same family. In spite of my erratic week and late response, your faithful display of God's gifts in your life have once again found their place in our hearts.
I appreciate your presence here more than you know, Ron! I'm saddened, though, to hear that your attempts to fill in the blanks regarding your father have not been as fruitful as you'd hoped. You are right, too, in saying that every family needs a caretaker to ensure that the generations who follow will have an idea about those who went before them. I'm hoping and praying that between the two of us, Danny and I can leave such a record for our children and grandchildren. I can't tell you how many times I find myself wishing that I'd asked my grandparents more questions while they were here with us. I don't want our grands to feel the same way. Thank you always for your kind and generous words written with love and care.
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Such a wonderful project!
ReplyDeletePreserving photos and stories really does keep family history alive for future generations.
I admire the care you and Danny are putting into organizing everything.
It’s inspiring me to be more intentional with my own family memories.
Happy Easter, Martha!
Thanks so much, Veronica, for your kind words here. Yes, preserving family memories and stories for future generations are projects well worth doing. Danny is much more of an organizer than I am, but his encouragement has inspired me to get my act together. Happy Easter to you!
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Boa tarde, Martha
ReplyDeleteQue ótima ideia do Danny guardar as fotos antigas! Tenho alguns álbuns de quando meus filhos eram pequenos. Também mandei revelar algumas fotos da família que quero guardar de lembrança. Feliz Páscoa!
Danny did have a grand idea with this, Lucinalva! Like you, I have lots of recent family photos in "albums" on my computer, but I'm always concerned that if something were to happen to my hard drive, I would lose them. I think it's time to load them onto a jump drive.
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So much or too much!
ReplyDeleteIt certainly is a lot to go through, David, but Danny managed to get most of it under control. Now, I have to do the same with mine.
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thecontemplativecat here. Could he come to California and do mine?
ReplyDeleteI definitely hear you, Susan! Now, I'm facing the same challenge that Danny can't do for me since these photos I have are from life before I was with him. My goal is to have a lot done before my daughter and her family visit with us after school is out.
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This is such a wonderful solution to a big problem. We have SO many photo albums, and oh, my, they are so heavy in the underbed crates we have them stored in. I wonder how much one of Danny's crates weighs once it is full of photos? I think it would be much lighter than the way we have them stored now. I have digitized some of them, but it is such a huge project, it overwhelms me. I was so happy someone asked you about where to find them in one of the comments above. I just went to Amazon and found them. I'm thankful you shared this helpful infomation. I am going to check more into it and try to figure out what to do. God bless you, sweet friend.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for your beautiful blog—I really enjoyed reading it.
ReplyDeleteI actually had tulips on the table this week too. They were stunning, red with yellow, but after a few days they started to droop more and more. At one point they were even hanging over the edge of the table, and whenever someone walked by, they would almost pull the vase along with them. They’ve been in the vase for about a week now, so they were quite far gone.
Last night I thought, why not try something I once read? I wrapped them in newspaper, put them back in the vase still wrapped, and placed them outside where it was about five degrees. This morning, when I opened the curtains, I was so curious. I carefully unwrapped them—and there they were, standing beautifully upright again in the vase. I found that so remarkable. Two of the tulip heads didn’t make it—they had fallen onto the garden table—but still, it felt like such a small wonder. Maybe I’ll write about it sometime too; there’s a little lesson in it.
I also really loved what you wrote about the photos. It made me think that I might start organizing pictures of my children and add small notes to them. Even though we no longer have contact with our daughter or our grandchildren—she broke off contact six years ago without explanation—it might still be something meaningful to do. To gather those memories, and hold on to what was good.
Thank you again for your blog. I pray God’s blessing over you in this new week. (and thank you soooo much for all your comments on my last blogs)