Since we are trying to keep this blog upbeat, rather than focusing on all of the elements of life that have been negatively impacted by the pandemic, we are choosing to focus on some of the silver linings. 

When high school graduation was impacted, rather than dwell on the loss, my mother and I redirected our energy into a special graduation project for my son:  an extensive photo memory book chronicling the highlights of his 18 years and featuring all of the most important people in his life.  The product is a memory book he will treasure his entire life.  More than that, though, creating it was a bonding experience for my mom and me, which helped us both get through some of the dark early days of the pandemic, while also allowing us to appreciate the many blessings in our lives, most notably our family.

It was great to have something positive to be focusing our energy on and working together allowed us to collaborate not only on the workload, but also to feed off of each other’s ideas.  Don’t get me wrong, there were times that one of us designed a page only to find the other re-designed it the next day.  But, for the most part, it was a true labor of love.  We got excited thinking of new events or themes to feature, like a special “Thanksgiving” spread featuring photos of a favorite holiday over the years with a special message from my mom about the importance of bringing the extended family together each year.  We also had spreads for our various homes over the years, a full spread on our dogs, and a page of costumes my son wore back when costumes were his favorite diversion.  One of the best parts of the book are the special messages my siblings sent to be included.  It was touching for them to take the time to recount special memories and share their words of inspiration and hope for him as he embarks upon the next phase of his life.

Our ideas seemed to multiply and perfectionists as we both are, it got to the point where it seemed like we wouldn’t get it done before he left for college.  My mother, being better with deadlines than I am, finally determined we needed to wrap it up.  We both reviewed each page one last time – which at this point took a few hours because the book was so long.  Then, she went through the online ordering process choosing paper weight, etc.  We ordered 2 books.  One, for my son to take with him to college and one for us to keep at home.

With my son abroad for school and far away from all of us, the memory books gives him something tangible to pick up and look through and remind him of all of the people who love him.  Our copy reminds me not only of the myriad highlights of raising him, but also the bonding experience my mother and I enjoyed while creating this gift for him.  We experienced so much joy creating the memory book – “Remember the grandchild sleepovers?  Let’s do a spread on that!” - and the process sparked loads of future project ideas we can’t wait to begin.  I’ve already set up folders on my computer with themes for future photo projects, so we will have a head start when we are ready!  Of course, that means, I also have photos strewn about the house awaiting their turn to be scanned and converted into our next labor of love.

Sample categories:

• Cousin Time

• Friends over the years

• Soccer highlights

• Favorite Vacations

• Special sibling photos