I saw a post float through my Instastories a few days ago that really grabbed me.
The post was simple.
A plain background with non-flashy text.
It quietly just said:
“How do you want to remember?”
And that really got the wheels turning in my brain.
How DO I want to remember?
- How do I want to remember “Year 7” of Braelynn’s life?
- How do I want to remember the vacations we take?
- How do I want to remember the mis-pronounced words that Leander says?
- How do I want to remember the birthdays we celebrate?
- How do I want to remember the milestones in our lives?
- How do I want to remember?
There are MANY ways people choose to remember.
- Maybe you take lots of personal photos, you have professional photos taken once a year, and you compile all of your photos into big, fat, family yearbooks or scrapbooks.
- Maybe you are a writer. You keep memory books, journals, and yearly accounts of your family. You write down silly things your kids say, you keep written record of your trips, and you definiely have a favorite pen.
- Maybe you’re a faithful Instagram-er and you dutifully post photos and write captions that you then turn into Chatbooks.
- Maybe you’re a seamstress and you turn your children’s favorite outgrown articles of clothing into quilts and stuffed animals and other keepsakes.
- Maybe you’re a talented artist who stylizes shadow boxes with special items. You sketch or paint favorite memories, places, and situations.
Or maybe you take lots of home movies.
There is no RIGHT or WRONG answer to the question.
We are all built differently with our personalities, our strengths, and the different activities that bring us joy.
The key isn’t doing ALL-THE-THINGS, but figuring out what works BEST for you, right now, today, in your current season of life.
Maybe you’re short on time because you have a horde of little people chasing you around calling you “Mom”. In that case, even if you adore long-form journaling, you might have to scale that back a bit.
Maybe you have more time than ever because your kids have grown up and are more self-sufficient now. In that case, maybe it’s time to reignite the love and passion for scrapbooking that you used to have.
Your seasons will ebb and flow, and with them the answer to this question might change (and that’s totally fine).
But, you do still have to answer the question:
How do you want to remember?
