I lost Donnie but the one thing that I will never lose is my memories.  Having said that, I still feel as if a bit of Donnie disappeared every time I gave something of his away. I’ve learned since Donnie died that my memories can never be lost, and they are not tied to everything he owned.  Sure, some items are special and I kept them for their memories – but not everything. I’ve also learned that I don’t need “a lot of things” to keep my memories because they are forever burned into my heart. There are many ways to honour our memories:

• Display our photographs
• Restore old or tattered pictures
• Donate to a worthy cause in their honour
• Visit or revisit places they loved
• Watch some of your favorite movies
• Plan ways to pass on some of their possessions
• Revisit old neighborhoods/homes
• Save something for each grandchild
• Write a biography of their life
• Create a “Husband” or “Dad” calendar
• Listen to their favorite music
• Plant a tree or bush in their honor
• Go out and enjoy their favourite meal
• Create something from their t-shirts
• Make a donation to their old school
• Find a unique way to celebrate their birthday
• Honour their memory by helping others

Nothing means more to us widows than our memories, so please protect your pictures.  Especially guard those on your phone and computer. You can protect scrapbooks by placing acid-free interleaving tissue between pages before you store them away.  You can also scan in your pictures and have a memory book done. Our children may not know half of the people in our old photos so write on the back or make notes beside them. If we don’t organize and protect our memories, who will?