Page 77 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2017- Online Magazine

Give a

Lasting Legacy

by Dionne Merriott

most to you and your loved ones. This Christmas,
give a gift that you can’t wait for your family to
open - a gift that connects generations.

Here are a few ideas about sharing and
preserving your family memories:
1. SEARCH for all your photos. Frames, boxes, and
closets may be holding treasures – as well as your phone
and computer.
2. SORT your photos. Don’t get bogged down with
Christmas is just around the corner. Would you like dates. Look for themes in your photos such as branches of
to give the gift of a lifetime? How about giving your family, vacations, holidays, and birthdays.
the gift of a legacy? I don’t mean the boxes and 3. SAVE for the future. I can help you make sure your
bags of photos that may be stuck in a closet, but photos will be around for generations through scanning
your favorite photos combined with their stories. A printed photos and using secure, easily accessible back-ups.
thoughtful collection of pictures and words would 4. SHARE with your family. When you give the gift of
be really precious to your family. Your photos, organized, meaningful photos, it’s a gift to yourself, too.
along with the stories behind them, can become a
meaningful, cherished gift this Christmas.

Photos connect families, but they can also heap
piles of guilt on you, when they are a disorganized
mess. Recently, a friend of mine commented that
she simply did not have room for all the boxes of
family photos. When you get to that point with
your photos, you may see them as a burden, not a
blessing. Yet, your family history is in those boxes!

This is a photo of my grandfather, his grandsons,
and great grandsons. It was a special photo when
it was taken 20 years ago, but now it is part of a
bigger story – the story of my grandfather’s life.
These grandsons and even great grandsons are all
married now. After my grandfather’s death, my
mother and I took this and many other photos and
created a book filled with memories and stories
– his legacy. His story is a treasure that connects
generations of our family.

What can you do to encourage this connection in
your family? Keep the things you care about. Care
about the things you keep. What does this mean?
If there is a photo that you care about, enjoy it in
a way that shows that you care. If you don’t care
about a photo, give yourself permission to not keep
it. This leaves only the photos you treasure and
enjoy!

Now, you are ready to take those photos that really
matter and put them with the stories that mean the
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