Back in the ’90s, I was a big scrapbook girl. I took great pleasure in assembling albums like some kind of hokey historian with a photo fetish. I spent hours arranging pictures and memorabilia, only to rearrange them again until my OCD was sufficiently satisfied. Each page outdid the last, so by the time a scrapbook was complete, I could barely close it!

When I wasn’t busy creating a keepsake masterpiece, I attended Creative Memories parties, which are the scrapbooker’s equivalent to Tupperware or Mary Kay. Invitations would pour into my mailbox, promising snacks and adult beverages in exchange for my attendance. As if I needed such incentive, but it didn’t hurt!  So, while tossing back a few hot toddies, my inhibitions would lower to the level of low-hanging fruit. Ironically, or not, that’s when a Creative Memories Consultant would step forward and start her sales spiel. From my perspective, she looked like Vanna White standing in a studio filled with fabulous prizes. Of course, I left these parties lugging loads of scrapbooking essentials. Had Maria Kondo been around in those days, I’m sure she would question how joy could be found among all that stuff!

Enter the digital age and the technology version of scrapbooking. It’s a lot cheaper and a great way to preserve documents, photos, and memorabilia. There are numerous websites and blogs dedicated to digital scrapbooking. Many are beautiful and artistic beyond anything I’ve ever created, as I don’t have the drive to scrapbook with the same passion of my past. But these websites (like this) are great motivators, and the nudge I needed to finally open boxes of family photos and documents, many of which are filled with photos my relatives who have passed on.

What I wasn’t prepared for was the emotional response this project ending up triggering in me. It took more time than expected to sort through all the photos. Teary eyes make things difficult to decipher through the blur. I also put the project on hold once or twice before gaining the strength to revisit the past. I guess I just miss my grandparents. I also miss my mom, whose departure left an irreparable hole in my heart.

This project is dedicated to them. It’s where memories and memorabilia collide in an artistic archive that opens a portal to the past. All of it provides a sense of peace, even contentment, because I know I’m blessed to have these people and places to miss in the first place.