My Mum asked if I would help her organise the thousands of photos she has managed to accrue over the years which now seem to fall from every drawer, desktop and nook throughout her home.
Being the ever helpful daughter I am, I loaded up several boxes into my car confident that I would get them sorted in no time what so ever.
A week later the boxes sat untouched on my living room floor until I could put it off no longer. Grabbing a handful from the nearest box, I started to try and put them into some kind of order rather than randomly stuffing them into albums.
As I went along I found photos that I had never seen before. Pictures of my Mum and Dad when they were children, dating, various school events and other such important times in their lives that I had never witnessed.
Hours passed as I poured over each photo and the story behind it. I found photos of my Dad, my brother and my son all at similar ages and putting them all together was able to see the uncanny likeness that linked us all. Whether it was the inherited twinkling eyes or the crazy hairstyles it was such a heartwarming feeling to see my family unfold before me going back so many years to parents, grandparents etc.
I have spent many many hours now collating these treasures into beautiful books that tell a story from the first picture to the last. I know my Mum and Dad will have endless hours of pleasure reliving the years now that there is a timeline and story to be followed from the first page of each book.
This feels like a gift not only to my parents but also that I have been given to go back in time and enjoy the story of my very special family and our tale to tell.
By: Debbie “English Mum” Murphy
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