Boxes of photo albums!
My mom died over 3 years ago and when we cleaned out her house we found stacks of photo albums I’d never seen before. If I’d known they were there I would have taken the time to go over the pictures with her and find out who was in those printed pictures and what they meant to her. It was too late for that and I couldn’t just throw them away. If you’ve been reading me a while, you know how attached I am to photos!
I brought 2 large boxes of photo albums and framed photos home with me. And they’ve been sitting in my hallway ever since. I’ve felt guilty every time I looked at them. I’m the photo organizer. Why can’t I get to those photos? I thought once I got through the grieving I’d be able to organize them. That didn’t happen either.
No matter how much I wanted to sort and organize them, I just couldn’t do it. It felt too overwhelming for me. I finally realized that I was too attached to those pictures. I needed an objective person, someone without any emotional attachment to help me. I needed a personal photo organizer! I can work easily with your photos, but mine? No way. So I called two of my colleagues and asked for help. We are a supportive profession. Neither hesitated. Tomorrow I’ll talk more about the process.
Have you ever been stuck? Thought you should be able to do something but just couldn’t? Did you call for help?
Susan Berland is a Personal Photo Organizer and a member of the Association of Personal Photo Organizers. She organizes print and digital photos and memorabilia, and creates keepsake albums, displays and gifts. Her passion is helping people get organized and create a legacy for their families.
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