Sunday, January 13, 2013

A picture speaks a thousand words….

I’ve mentioned before how I was helping my Aunt Mardene put together a life history book.  We were finally able to get it finished and printed just before Christmas.

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We put in a lot of pictures.

 

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Some fun memories.

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And

A little history.

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We published some of them as hard-back books through a company called Lulu.  The second part of the book has colored photos and they just look so much better in color.

We also used a company in Logan called Watkins Printing to make some black and white spiral bound books.  We made enough copies for Mardene to give one to each niece and nephew as a Christmas present.  Mardene is the only surviving child left in her family.  (She does have one sister-in-law left.)  We also included a computer disk with each book if they want to make more copies for their own families.

Below is a picture of some of the older cousins.

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Here is another picture of the later cousins (which includes me).

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That is a lot of cousins!

Mardene has been blessed this Christmas to have had visits and phone calls from almost every one of her nieces and nephews.  (She excitedly calls me on the phone to report, every time she gets a new visitor or call.)  They were excited to receive her book.  Many expressed joy at the memories brought back to them and were so thrilled to get photos, many that they had never seen before.  (I’ve even benefited from some notes and phone calls, too!)

The old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words is really true.  I’m sure each photo means something different to each person who views it, and sometimes the picture can bring back a different memory each time it is looked at. 

I am so grateful that I was able to help Mardene with her history.  She has done so much for me and for all of our extended family.  Hopefully, this will help bind our family together.

After all,

Families can be together forever!

JoAnn

9 comments:

Liz, Karl, Madison, Brooklyn, Aubrey and Zachary said...

I am so glad you were able to help Mardene do her book. I know it was a lot of work for you but you will never regret it. And so many people are going to treasure this book for years to come! Thanks again for taking on this project!

Liz, Karl, Madison, Brooklyn, Aubrey and Zachary said...

I am so glad you were able to help Mardene do her book. I know it was a lot of work for you but you will never regret it. And so many people are going to treasure this book for years to come! Thanks again for taking on this project!

julie said...

We LOVE the book. It has truly been a gift that keeps giving as Mardene continues to get calls and visits and cards from all who have received books! What an awesome labor of love. It has been fun to see Mardene so excited! Love you JoAnn!!!

Pondside said...

What a beautiful project - an inspiration!

Rosella said...

This is so interesting! We just spent the whole afternoon going through some of my husband's "old" family pictures to do exactly this type of thing!! We scanned over 50 pictures so far. Thanks for the Lulu link - this might come in handy...

Marg said...

What a wonderful gift from the heart. And she will always be able to appreciate this while she lives out her years. So special and I can imagine the joy it brought to you.

Stacey said...

JoAnn that is such a neat thing to do. My father-in-law did the same thing for his side of the family. My dad and I were just talking about all the old pictures you see at antique stores. It's a little sad because nobody knows who those people are. Having them all in a book with labels like that is perfect. I like that you can include stories too.

Laura said...

What a wonderful project of family love. I am inspired to do more with old photographs!
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Pat @ Mille Fiori Favoriti said...

What a family treasure! I'm sure it will be passed on from now on with many new stories added to it!