If you don’t know me very well or haven’t read my older other blogs then you don’t know this story. Let me rewind and back up to my high school days when I was not living at home and was not close with my mom at this time. My mom had moved into her childhood home back with my grandpa for a short time (or a long time..) with the help of my brother. Without placing any blame because, in fact, I do not know whose fault it was the moving truck was repoed and our possessions were also taken. And with that, not only a lot of prized possessions and antique furniture but also a whole 50-gallon storage tub which held all and I mean all of our family photos, trips, dances, birth announcements, school crafts and projects, childhood photos, and childhood mementos, awards, and grade sheets. Everything you can possibly imagine to mark a point in our lives not only of mine but my siblings and many of my parent’s old personal photos as well. So it was a lot of irreplaceable items in them and it’s very unfortunate that we lost it all. Every holiday and birthday started and ended with photos. Taking pictures is a big deal to lots of families and keeping these special glimpses in time. In the digital age, folks take lots of senseless photos every day but we don’t stop in these seconds to take in the moment when it’s happening.
Basically, my family didn’t have copies or other pictures from really any period in our lives. I kept whatever few I could find from certain friends and family members I kept very dear to my heart from that point on. It’s been a long time since that happened with the pictures but I try to keep track of the memories we create now. I have a few albums of my family photos I have gathered and when my father and grandpa both passed- I was able to get my hands on more mementos and photo frames. Part two of this story is that when I moved out of my house when my dad died- I surprisingly found many, many undeveloped rolls of film and packets of pictures that I had even forgotten about. Mostly from camp, the summer previously, and a few vacations with my dad and other family get-togethers. I carried these with me wherever I moved and boy, I moved a lot. Like not a normal amount. Beyond a normal amount, I moved every year for several years, moved in with my sister, moved in with a friend, and lived in 5 dorms for 3 years. So I really treasured these pictures in my memory box where I kept all my memories and childhood things, then that housed my photo album collections, funeral cards, and wedding cards. It was a big deal to me and it should be a good thing for everyone to do. Always back up your online presence, not just a blog but multiple copies of pictures and things. Because even if Facebook and Instagram disappear tomorrow you’ll want to be able to access them somewhere and have multiple hard copies.
What can you do to not let this happen to you? Well for one, digital is the way to go because you won’t be suddenly missing them. And make sure that you put them in various places like Photobucket, iCloud, or OneDrive. Being on social media is always being criticized for being I would suggest having family photos of holidays and birthdays perhaps in photo books created with any of the reputable places for a low cost. This is a great way to keep the memories and have them all bound together in one spot and not just loose. Also when moving, I would suggest taking the irreplaceable items with you personally in the car or moving them separately, and getting movers insurance with companies can be a good thing. It may seem like a stretch but if you have any vintage photographs that are irreplaceable I would suggest a safety deposit box. Either one at the bank or an indestructible one in your home to guard against any natural disaster. It’s a serious thing especially when you live in a state where those things can happen at the drop of a hat. I hope this helped some of you be more protective of your things and not forget about those memories most precious to you.
