"I have a simple philosophy; empty what's full, fill what's empty, and scratch where it itches." Alice Roosevelt Longworth
During the first few weeks after Rhea's passing my emotions swelled like a freight train building momentum as it headed down a steep grade. I decided to focus that energy like I had done for the passing of my favorite Uncle. I designed and emailed a tribute to my friends and family. It might surprise you to know that I was overwhelmed by the cards and notes expressing sympathy for my loss.
Photos are really no more than small memories captured on paper, which through the years clutter our bookshelves and tabletops, until that moment of inspiration when we decide to organize our life. Usually, this divine intervention comes in the form of a traumatic event, a mental unsettling, or in my case those estrogen deficient moments that rise to the surface without warning. In the past I had attempted to organize my life by creating several photo albums. But in the case of Rhea's passing, this creation grew a personality all its own. As I revisited our lives through my photos, I was amazed at how cathartic the experience. That is when, to my horror, the obsession took hold. I realized how few pictures I actually had of my beloved Jack Russell.
During the first week, I spent my days lost in gathering photos from family and friends, than cataloging them like a research project for my next book. The world of photography had changed dramatically in the last 14 years, to say the least, and thus a rose my next problem. How best to create Rhea's final tribute.
I finally had to move on, with all (far more than one needed) non-digital images in hand, I headed off to my local Staples. There, I employed the expertise of my friendly Staples person to solve the dilemma of my multimedia chaos. The answer seemed simple, we made a high quality scan of each photo, and saved the images to a CD (not expensive). At this point my choices for a tribute were many(only in digital format): mouse pads to Calendars, slide-shows to T-shirts and coffee mugs. I chose a hardcover photo book from Shutterfly.com.
If you are savvy with Microsoft Publisher, a world of creative exercises is opened to you. You can create an entire page using multiple photos and text, then save it in jpeg format (I posted example in thelast post). But if you are computer challenged, done give up! Shutterfly is very user friendly with step by step tutorials. It is like scrapbooking, only digital. You can crop, color correct, resize and correct redeye. If you are a scrapbooker (my Idol) and already have memory pages, just have Staples scan the completed works, then upload the photo for an entire page of your book. These hardcover(or softcover) books are beautiful, and a nice addition to your coffee table or library. However for me, the journey was all about the process of creating my very special tribute. The creation of this tribute acted much like a pressure valve releasing my grief in small doses, no more than I could handle at any one time.
The creation of my small 8x8 book was a very personal journey, and it gave me a safe place to house my grief. A sanctuary for the tears I shed over my loss. This tribute to my best friend became a memorial. Rhea's eulogy, celebrating a journey traveled with abundant energy and curiosity, a life well lived. Use this tool, as I did, to help you let go. For it is in letting go that we empty what's full, and make room to fill the emptiness with the next generation of Jack Russell.
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