Shoeboxes of Memories

You may have a shoebox of old photos in your closet. I don’t have one box, but boxes and boxes and old shopping bags that contain negatives from “back in the day” when filmed had to be processed. Going through photos is a good rainy day activity. Although according to our Chamber of Commerce, “Klamath Falls enjoys over 300 days of sunshine each year.” If I do my “guzentas” (southern for mathematical division of what goes into what) that only leaves 65 rainy days. And since my shoeboxes are overflowing with photos, I must have been washing my hair on those days. Even though it wasn’t raining, I tackled the shoebox monster in my closet.

It reminded me how important photos are to me. When I moved back to West Virginia, I thought that a way to make friends would be to arrange scrapbooking parties at my house. I didn’t have the supplies we needed; so I became a consultant with one of the scrapbook supply companies that meant I had to sell a certain amount of product to support my scrapbooking habit. To convince people they needed to have “archival quality” photo preservation, I offered insights I had learned in my recreational therapist background.

I told them that marriage counselors sometimes have couples look at their photos taken when they are having fun on vacation, visiting friends or embarking on a new adventure. It is intended to help people reconnect to the good times they had together.

In one of the shoeboxes I found a “good times” photo of a friend and me. It was beautifully made with a maroon mat and beveled black striped edge. After I created it, I didn’t see the friend again. She moved and I moved and we lost touch with each other. I had been hoping our paths would cross again one day.

For today’s gift, I located her on the Internet and mailed it to her. I enclosed a note saying I’d love to share stories with her from the past seven years.

The shoebox monster helped me connect with a long, lost friend. Now I can look forward to rainy days.

In Giving,

Robin