Have you been diligent in documenting your children’s school days? Perhaps you have one of those photo mats filled in with an individual photo from each of their grades. Maybe you’ve scrapbooked or photo collaged some memorable events from each year. Great!
I’d like to challenge you to allow yourself some time to look back at those photos and try what may be the hard part of this JOTTINGS TIP:
LOOK AT YOUR PHOTOS WITH NO AGENDA
Like me, you may be so accustomed to having a goal in mind as you’re preserving your memories, that this may take some practice.
Just get into a comfortable spot where you can be alone with your heart thoughts.
I enjoy gliding on our back patio with my toes in the grass. My eyes can take a break and look out into the distant sky when they want. My mind can follow any meandering thoughts that pop up as I glance over each photo.
Like always, I keep my little spiral notebook and my phone recorder close at hand, but I’m not needing to end up with anything at all in or on either of them. They’re just on the ready in case inspiration hits and I don’t want to forget where my heart was leading me.
Something or nothing may come out of this time.
Without it, however, so many potential moments that matter might never make it to the surface of your memory.
For example, when I was looking at some photos of my daughter’s kindergarten class and her soccer team practices, my heart started racing a bit. Memories of her very first bus ride to school came to mind and how the bus driver didn’t stop to let her off where I was waiting for her at the end of the day.
I might plan to jot about how scary that was for mother and daughter. I could do that, but instead on this occasion I’ll remind myself “No agenda.” Just let the memories flow…
I’ll daydream a bit and remember our cairn terrier Kelly. Many mornings she took us on a chase through the neighborhood as we waited for the bus. My go-to remedy was to lay down on the sidewalk and call her name quietly until she was curious enough to come close enough for me to grab her.
Then I’ll recall the Halloween Parade around the school, which leads into an earlier memory of taking my daughter on her first trick-or-treating wearing a cast on her leg. Which meanders into her son Oliver’s latest bump or bruise. Which takes me to his most recent singing and dancing performances for me. I’m amazed that he doesn’t pull something when he goes all out with his creative gyrations of free expression!
Or maybe, the original bus-passing-me-by memory takes me into bittersweet feelings of “how fast they grow up and go out on their own?!” Moments when the children went out to explore the next step on their journey might come to mind, or when I did…
The point is, lots more comes to the surface than just a bus story.
That’s the beauty of approaching reminiscence with a sense of child-like wonder and curiosity, not with an agenda. You never know where it will lead you and what jottings will result.
Let’s give it a try and let me know how that feels…
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JOYfully jotting,
Katie
Family PhotoStory Organizer
Mini-Stories Writing Coach
Your Legacy of Memories Mentor
Capturing Mini-Moments that Matter…
Energizing & Connecting Families for Generations!