declutter

Lost & Found

Finding Treasure My maternal grandmother is my earliest recollection of the impact of combining words and photos. I was so blessed by her “pen pal” style letters that periodically landed in my college mailbox. They always included a couple of photos from our last visit, or the latest treasures that bloomed in her garden. Whenever I saw my name written in her handwriting, waiting to be discovered in my mailbox, my heart would flutter with excitement. My Mama Dede was such a fun loving role model in my life. She had a laugh that would make anyone smile or join in- whether you were in on the joke, or not. Reminiscing brings it all back again… so much love. I am so blessed.  Partners in Crime Not only a master gardener, Mama Dede (known as Edith to her peers) was president of her gardening club in the town of Elizabeth City, NC.  She would design, organize, decorate and make the town bloom with her [...]

Finally- A Breakthrough

It happened when she decided to put her needs first. Then the clouds broke up and the sunlight poured in... Finally. Adversity; conflict, natural disaster, loss, and major changes give us choices. The people who take times like this and create something new and beautiful are the people that inspire me most in life.  Enter Janica.  A single mom of 3 kids, the oldest of 5 siblings. She's not afraid of carrying the kind of heavy loads that many shy away from. Janica LOVES her family above all else, and works 2+ jobs to support them.  They call her their 'ROCK', but she’s still human. Janica’s lost both of her parents in 2014, and she then took on the responsibility of her parents estate, their home, and managed to send her oldest off to college while balancing her own home and two jobs. Strength embodied. Pushing her grief down, to be strong for her family, she decided not to make any immediate decisions regarding the family [...]

Confessions of a Control Freak – Letting in Joy

Do you know why babies laugh? I believe it’s because they have no restrictions, filters, or hesitation to keep them from filtering out a joyful response. When I hear baby laughter, I can't help but smile or often laugh along. They snap me out of my trance called “adulthood” and remind me of my natural joyful state. I LOVE THAT.  But over the years, we build layers of skin formed by our experiences, influencers and systems that were designed to make us productive members of society. Things don't always go the way we like, or we don't take criticism lightly and we go to extremes to avoid all faults and opportunities just to be criticized. And the result for me is: perfectionism starts to take over. Have you ever considered that the more room we make for perfectionism, the less space there is for joy? Time to clean THAT closet out; let’s get a little messy for the sake of letting stuff go that [...]

“I was about to slam my computer shut…

...because I couldn’t find my photos, and then your email popped up.” I opened this message from a subscriber of mine recently. I understood. This is what I deal with all the time. Not the first message like this  and it won’t be the last.  It happens all the time. It can feel like some kind of ‘Photo Gluttony’. There are simple fixes that have lasting success and I love to help them get back on track and feel immediate hope and prompt relief! And NO you don't have to stop taking photos... it's what comes NEXT, that needs some adjusting. :)  People take more photos today than they ever have before, in addition to old devices full of thousands of jpegs. They're important and they're in lock down, in all different places. People cannot manage memories trapped in all sorts of places- out of sight; out of reach. They struggle to find the ones they are looking for, let alone sharing and enjoying [...]

Don’t drag emotional truckloads with you

Did you know the average American car owner buys 9.4 cars in a lifetime? Imagine if you parked every car you ever owned in your driveway or garage? How much space would that occupy? And what if they can no longer be driven? Do you keep the broken down ones, bring them with you if you were to take a job or retire across the country? Of course not!  The added expense and logistical annoyances are too great to consider this. Trade in, sell or donate them and welcome the space for vehicles that serve you.  And yet it happens all the time with our captured memories; Our photos and memorabilia are completely irreplaceable if they were to be lost, so we literally drag 'emotional carloads' from one place to another until we either decide to UPDATE the formats, edit them down, or do the unthinkable; Toss them out! Some see little value in these captured moments, but let's be honest- That's not the [...]

A Legacy of Kindness

Kindness has been a recurring theme lately. I find myself talking about it, noticing it in the others, and also encouraging my children to be above all else, kind. With this filter in place, I find myself saying thank you more ofte n, gathering more smiles, giving more smiles and attracting a kinder world around me. Even the restaurant who gave me a free smoothie because I thought I' d ordered one... (I hadn't but they still gave me one regardless.) Kindness is a happy space to live and breathe in. I also find it easier to return to this mindset when I slip up; My practice must be paying off!  I recently lost a customer (it feels strange to call her a customer because she meant so much to me.) Emotions come in waves and instead of sharing words of sadness, I’ll honor her memory by sharing a taste of the kindness she brought to my world. Judy was one of my favorite [...]

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