Our family loves to go to the National Parks. The best part is being able to revisit them via our photo books which I make after our trips. We also enjoy finding places locally that are peaceful and beautiful. These pictures were taken a few years ago…but just looking at them brings a peaceful feeling….
Author: Arlene Watkins
How to Organize Memorabilia
In the middle of life; I failed to organize our children’s memorabilia. I regret being so focused on working and running our kids all over that it never crossed my mind about the importance of keeping these items dated and organized. In 2020, I have had some time to go thru files and boxes. I…
Keeping Our Child’s Memory Alive!
This weekend our family attended The Compassionate Friends National Conference, virtually of course. The Conference brings together parents, grandparents and siblings of those children gone too soon. The Compassionate Friends organization supports parents, grandparents and siblings who lost a loved one. Unfortunately, we belong in that category! I presented “Keeping Our Child’s Memory Alive!” I…
Stories
Not a day goes by without thinking about our son, James. But this time of year, memories are triggered by Mother’s Day, Memorial Day and Father’s Day. But within this 6-8 week period, we also have his angelversary and his birthday. It’s a lot to process. I like this quote: “We don’t “move on” from…
School Memories
James was always involved in sports and music. I have found music programs and sport schedules scattered in our files. Unfortunately, I was not very organized when the kids were small. The digital world we live in makes it much easier to file these memories so we can search for specific items. My process is…
Memories?
How do you protect your memories? Because we live in tornado alley, I have many of my most treasured books in the basement in plastic tubs on heavy shelves that are anchored to the cement walls. I know that won’t save them in the worst of storms but was always hopeful that it would help….
Family Recipes, a tradition shared.
Do you have recipes that have been used in your family for generations? My Mom was a country girl; I was one until the end of my sixth grade, when my parents moved to a small town outside of Omaha. I always helped Mom cook supper so making gravy and mashed potatoes were second nature. …
Family Traditions
Do you have any family traditions? Most families have some yearly traditions around the holidays. Our family has had one weekly tradition that has carried forward into the next generation. Friday night is pizza night. I can’t remember exactly when we started; but the kids were in grade school. I love to cook. Kids love…
Memories
This weekend, I managed to find time to scan more of our slides. This project will take many more hours to complete but I hope to accomplish this task by the end of this year. The box of slides had pictures of our son at six weeks old. Jim was in Florida on business and…
Protecting Our Memories of “The Trip of A Lifetime”
In July, our family took the Trip of a Lifetime! So many memories – so much to share. These are just the highlights of our trip: Like I said: “The trip of a Lifetime.” But how will I organize all the photos and capture the memories? There are over 4, 700 pictures! That’s overwhelming! During…