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 films, slides, albums, and boxes of photos from her parents house. Instead, they were piled up in a corner of her bedroom with a whisper of a promise to give them the attention they deserve. Some day.
Years passed as she saw her children fly the nest, so proud of each. She continuing to work, shift after shift; Rarely a day off. She hosted extended family on holidays, mailing birthday cards on time to her children, nieces and nephews… never forgetting anyone. She lived for her family, forgetting herself.
Janica tried to sit with her family photos many times through the years, only thwarted by grief on an anniversary, or fatigue that demanded her attention every time she slowed down. Resigned, she would always scoop them back into a box, silently promising herself to return and finish up one day.
When I met Janica, her parents had been gone for many years- long enough that there was a new era of dust on her piles, and she was in a desperate state. The roof had started to leak and she feared the water damage that could happen to her home and of course, her family memories.
Janica admitted that she had faced so many difficulties in life, and yet had been hiding from this subject. It had bothered her more over time, and now she truly ached to reconnect with her childhood memories. She had a deep desire to share them with her children, and was determined to do it herself… but HOW?
Janica needed a special kind of help. This is when I offered to teach her my Memory Management Method TM so she could do the work herself with my coaching and support.
She gratefully accepted my invitation.
For the first month we met weekly, spending an hour sifting, sorting, working through the process and I left her with action items to take care in between. She was thrilled to see visible progress week after week. She asked to continue our weekly visits, so she could keep up the momentum.
I was secretly grateful because I grew to not only care about her family deeply, we were starting a new beautiful friendship. A special side-effect from this kind of work.
By the end of 90 days, Janica had not only managed to tidy up her memories, but she knew where to find EVERY important memory she had rediscovered. We made them digital for her to then share with her family.
But this was so much more than organizing and scanning… Janica had her memories back after decades of separation. She knew what to do with the new ones that she would add… she knew how to make sure they were not deleted by mistake and even had a back up plan. She was EMPOWERED, RELIEVED, AND SO PROUD OF HERSELF. I remember noticing how she carried herself taller, more confident. And there was a noticeable calm in her voice as we reviewed all she had accomplished.
This story gets even better…
Janica’s family reconnected over these moments, and in the process she tells me she and her younger brother were now talking again and even made plans to vacation together with their kids. She called it a “Memory Miracle”.
Janica told me that making time for her family memories was the best gift she ever bought herself. Together we helped her celebrate the best parts of her family stories, and she felt such deep, lasting relief. The mess was gone and JOY filled that space!
If you can relate to any part of Janica’s story, I have a seat for you in Digital PeaceTM.
Digital PeaceTM is an online course where you’ll learn the exact system that delivered such relief, ongoing support and joy to Janica and her family.
I hold this safe space for my students to time-proof their memories, and enjoy the support and company of a growing community of photo-loving, caring people. Enrollment is open NOW. Give yourself the gift of digital peace… and invite some friends to join us, too!
Happy Reminiscing!
<3, Kris