When the Time is Right: Organizing Memorabilia with Purpose
Six years ago, I had the pleasure of organizing a home in Louisville for a wonderful woman who had just retired. We worked together to bring order to every space in her house—well, almost every space. The basement was another story. It was filled with memorabilia, and she just wasn’t ready to tackle it yet. And that was okay.
To ensure she felt comfortable pausing and we captured some timely information , we set up a system to identify and protect the photographs and other memorabilia so they could be safely stored until she was ready to organize them. I also gave her some examples of how to recognize when she was ready. At the time, she wasn’t sure she understood the approach, but I assured her, “Trust me, when the time comes, you’ll not only know—you’ll remember to call me.”
And that’s exactly what happened.
A few weeks ago, she reached out, and today we worked through her basement together. She told me, “Pinky, you were so right. Seeing everything this way, understanding that I can get this organized, and realizing that I’m truly ready—that’s exactly what I needed back then.”
We spent our time organizing her photos and creating a thoughtful plan to pass them down to her children and grandchildren. The goal? To preserve a manageable, meaningful collection that her family can enjoy now and cherish later.
If you have a mountain of memorabilia or piles of photos that feel overwhelming, you’re not alone. Photo organizing is one of my absolute favorite services, and there are so many ways to make sense of all those memories. We can sort them, store them, share them, preserve them, and even get creative with them. Whatever you need to feel happy about your collection is what you deserve. And I would love to help you do that.
If you need expert organizing help, don't hesitate to reach out. Visit pinkyjackson.com to schedule a free assessment. We would love to help you with our Onsite Organizing services if you are in the Louisville, KY area or our Virtual Organizing services if you are more remote or prefer to work online.
Pinky Jackson is an Organizing Expert and Decluttering Specialist. She and her team organize homes & small businesses in Louisville, KY. For more information about Pinky’s pricing & services or to schedule your free assessment, go topinkyjackson.com
Photo: Jon Tyson @jontyson
