damaged photos Archives - Save Your Photos

Learning from personal experience, Lisa Luken of SimpleJoyLiving.com, wants you to commit to saving your photos today.

If you’re like millions of others, you have photos. And lots of them. Prints and slides buried in boxes that you inherited from relatives. Digital images that are hanging out on flash cards, CDs, old computers and hard drives. And maybe you even have some slides and old home videos mixed in there too.

I’m guessing that at some point, you’ve thought about doing something with these precious memories. Maybe you got excited about organizing them initially. Then maybe you started to think about how to do it, which led to thoughts about how overwhelming and time consuming the project would be, so you never got started.

If this sounds like you, let me first reassure you that you are not alone!

And second, I’d like to share with you a personal story…

When I was 15, my family lost our house in a tornado that destroyed most of our town and took the lives of 29 people. The storm came without warning and left me caught in a car riding out the storm in the driveway. In a mere 10 seconds, my life was drastically changed.

The storm passed as quickly as it came. After making my way into what was left of our house and discovering that my sisters and dog were okay (they ran to the basement when the power went out), I was suddenly responsible for figuring out what to do next.

Standing there in the midst of what was left of our home, I caught a glimpse of my mom’s favorite pictures, our baby pictures, still hanging on a wall that remained standing. I immediately knew that we needed to find any pictures we could and take them with us. That is what we would save…

Everything else was just stuff…stuff that could be replaced and that, in the big picture, really didn’t matter. Even at the age of 15, in the midst of a devastating life-changing event, I knew this. And I knew that the pictures were what was worth saving.

Everything else was just stuff that could be replaced & I knew that the pictures were what was worth saving. #saveyourphotos Click To Tweet

Our photos tell the stories of our lives – where we came from, what we’ve experienced and who we’ve ‘done life with.’ They take us back to the good old days. They make us smile and laugh. They teach us about what life was like before us. And possibly most importantly, they are gifts to future generations.

Although I didn’t have the opportunity to prepare in advance for the tornado, you have the ability to do so right now. I strongly encourage you to stop waiting and start saving your photos. I was blessed with the chance to save many of them after, but many people aren’t so lucky.

If you’re one of the many individuals like me that would choose to grab your pictures after saving your people and your pets, I encourage you to organize and preserve your memories now.

Completing your project is possible. Yes, it will take time…but I invite you to consider the time you spend working on this project as a gift to future generations.

What if instead of spending time out shopping for another “thing” for your family members, you instead pulled out “that box” and begin sorting photos? Or what if you spend that time telling and documenting the stories that only you know? This is a gift that only you can give. And it’s far more valuable than any “thing” that can be purchased at a store.

There are numerous resources available to help you start saving your photos. Visit www.saveyourphotos.org and thephotoorganizers.com for ideas and inspiration. Find resources and partners in your community. Make the project fun by planning a photo-sorting family gathering. Or find some friends who also have “that box” buried in their closet and schedule a routine time to work together on your projects. You can do it!

We also invite you to visit our sister blog The Photo Organizers for more tips and in-depth knowledge from some of the top photo organizing industry professionals. To find a photo organizer near you, visit the Association of Personal Photo Organizers.

Lisa Luken offers Life Coaching, Professional Home & Photo Organizing and Speaking services. She supports others in creating SIMPLE, finding JOY and LIVING a life they love by working with them to get focused and take action on the parts of their life that are not simple.

Lisa has experienced both unintentional and intentional simplifying of her home and life and she knows what it feels like to be overwhelmed with having too much stuff. She also knows what it’s like to find freedom through simplifying and loves sharing her insight and knowledge to guide others on their journey toward a simpler, more fulfilling life.

For ideas, inspiration and to learn more about Lisa’s own personal simplifying journey, visit her website and blog at www.SimpleJoyLiving.com.