Looking Back in Time

About three months ago Mike's grandmother passed away, and when we went home for the services, my mother-in-law had pulled out all of her old photos to find some for a collage the family was making. I noticed that she had all of the pictures in an old diaper box, with no rhyme or reason to the order they were put in there. Me, being the organized, crafty person that I am, couldn't help but thinking about ways to organize her pictures. So, a month later when mother's day came around, I suggested to Mike that instead of buying his mom another plaque or candle, that I offer to organize all of her pictures. 


I went to Michael's and bought photo boxes with dividers, and did my best to organize everything based on year and event. I then scanned it all into the computer, since I noticed that some of her pictures, especially the Polaroids, were beginning to fade. This was often a difficult task, because I had not been there to experience any of these events, so I was not always sure where/when it happened, or who was in some of the pictures. This is where Mike needed to step in, to help me put all of the pieces of the puzzle together. 


Some days it was really boring to just sit there an scan pictures for hours, but over all it was very rewarding. Mike and I have been dating since he was 16 years old, so I know most of his stories, but as they say, pictures tell 1000 words. It was so neat to be able to take a step back in time and look at the journey that is his life and to see the progression of how he became the man he did. It also allowed me to put faces with names from stories I had heard in the past. I would show a picture to Mike and ask if he knew who it was, or where they were and if he could give me an approximate year. His face would then light up as he would remember the event and how much fun he had (e.g. Disney 1995). 


However, I think the most rewarding part was seeing Lisa's face when I showed her everything. She seemed really excited to have all of her pictures in one place, and to be able to find something so easily. It also sparked even more conversations and trips down memory lane as she identified pictures that Mike could not. 


If you ever get the chance, I would highly recommend sitting down and going through the pictures of someone's life with them. What an eye opening experience!