The Joy

Recently I opened a box I haven’t opened for 15 years. It was a box of retrieved and damaged photos that my mom and I salvaged after a pipe burst in the wall of her Santa Monica apartment.

There are certain events in your life that you never forget. I remember the weekend I had my mom come to my place solely for the purpose of going through the damaged boxes of photos. 

The experience was beautiful but emotional. It was overwhelming for her to revisit her past and memories, and to discover how extensive the damage was – especially photos with my dad, because he was no longer with us.

She had stories about every picture. We laughed, we cried and we were able to save one big box from a set of three.

We promised each other that this was just the beginning, that we would pay the right attention to what was left: organize the photos, scan them, and make new prints.

In the 15 years since then, I did spend a lot of quality time with my mom, but we never revisited that particular project!

Recently I opened that box without her: my mom passed away last year. 

Of course, it's a whole different emotional journey to see the same photos now.

And it reinforces how challenging it is when we try to organize personal photos without help.

The truth is that it’s a huge investment of time and emotion to dig into your lifelong archive of family photos. That’s why many of us never get around to doing it. That was the case for us, even as beautiful, adventurous and sweet as my parents’ journey had been – 7 kids, 11 grandchildren and a big move from the other side of the globe to land in Santa Monica.

So when you hire a professional photo organizer to manage your personal collection, it’s not just about taking care of a problem or just doing a project, but it’s about what you get back.

The joy.

The joy of discovering moments in the past that you barely remember, that connect you with people you love, and the ability to share these treasures with them.

And this joy is irresistible. 

There’s one photo I would like to share from the box: a tiny Polaroid of my mom and sister.

I took this picture of them – they look so happy and relaxed. It’s the last house I lived in with my parents before leaving for the U.S. And although my sister and I can’t agree on the specific year it was taken, this one photo has provoked so many memories and laughs!

I’ve been thinking about this experience since we ask our clients to trust us with their most precious items.

Besides our decades of experience working with sensitive and archival materials while producing broadcast documentaries, we place a high value on demystifying and simplifying the entire process for our clients, walking them through the different stages of gathering, organizing, scanning and archiving their materials, and advising them about the choices along the way. 

This is the standard of service they deserve from anyone they engage.

Written by Blue