Expecting to move in the next couple of months (and noticing the deterioration of several treasured legacy photos and Polaroids turning yellow and fading), I began the daunting task of cleaning out my photographs and memorabilia. While doing so, my adult son, who has never shown much interest in looking at photos, keeping them, or even having his photo taken, sat down beside me.

He started going through a box filled with pictures of his siblings and began to laugh — a good, deep, warm laugh that touched this mother’s soul. It was the kind of laugh I hadn’t heard in years, not since life became more complicated and the weight of adulthood set in.

This photo captures him laughing at an embarrassing picture of his brother. He even snapped a photo of it and sent it to him — a small but meaningful moment. That single photo opened a conversation between them that lasted for a while.

This journey of preserving my photos for my family has brought about benefits far beyond simply saving images. It has strengthened family connections, preserved cherished memories, and given me hope for a brighter, warmer future — one still connected to meaningful moments from the past.