how to keep your memory from fading

Do you remember the day you got your first job?  Your first day of college?  Your engagement day?  Bringing your first baby home from the hospital?

Pick one.  Think back to that day.

What can you tell me about that day?

Chances are, if--today--you were to tell me about that day, you might say something like, "It was great."  "It was a wonderful day."  "It was exciting."  "Very special."

But if you had told me on that day, you would have a lot more to tell me!  There would be details, emotions, sights, smells, nerves, what happened on the way there, what happened on the way home, what you were thinking, how someone else reacted, and more.

So what can we do about it?

Here are some things you can do to keep those memories alive and cherished, which in turn give us increased happiness and fulfillment!  

1. Take photos.  There's absolutely nothing like seeing your beloved grandmother or an angel baby again, or your wedding day or your first day at a new job.  That's what a photo does--it brings them back.  Those events, those people, those times aren't lost when you have a photo.
2. Write.  The old adage "a picture is worth a thousand words" is mostly true, but without recorded details, your thousand words are quickly slipping away as the the actual memories literally fade a little every day.  You don't have to be a writer.  You just have to write.  What do you remember?  Who is in the photo?  When and where was the photo taken?  Why was it taken?  What made it photo-worthy, meaningful, fun, special, interesting, hard, good, worth remembering?  Write it down.  I guarantee you won't remember all those things if you wait 10 years.
3. Preserve the photos and their stories (the writing part).  A box isn't where something this powerful belongs.  Photos and memories need to be taken care of.  I call it memory-keeping.  Some people call it scrapbooking.  Whatever that looks like to you, find a high-quality way to preserve these precious mementos of your life's journey.    
4. Reflect.  Share.  Look through your memory-keeping, your photos and journals.  Take some time to get centered.  See where you've been and see how far you've come.  Share your memories and life experiences with others.  Children especially LOVE looking through scrapbooks and memory books of themselves, but be sure you do it as well.  There are even therapeutic benefits!

Preserved memories don't fade nearly as much.  And they're easy to recapture by simply looking back and reading.

There are different ways of preserving photos and memories, of course.  Any standard photo album from a big box store will do it, but be sure the products are acid-free, lignin-free, and high quality.  Otherwise, your photos end up not as "preserved" as you thought.

My favorite way of preserving photos and memories is digitally because it's so convenient.  Plus, using the company I do means that my photos are stored digitally as well--that's not only "fireproofing" both my photos and my digital book offsite (not at home) but giving me the ability to access my account and show my photos from my phone or other device/computer.  {Here's amazing information on the app, and here's amazing information on the *permanent* photo storage that Forever offers.}

I use all three of these different platforms for creating my own digital books.  Have a look and see which one fits you best.  There's an easy-button option, a quick and beautiful template option, and full-on digital scrapbooking.  Let me know in the comments which one sounds best to you.  (I love #3 but have used them all.)

You don't have to be a "scrapbooker" to be a memory-keeper.  You just need memories.  (The first and second options shown in the video are truly for EVERYONE!)

{Get started preserving your photos and memories right here.}  It makes all the difference.

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This post was updated in 2022.