When my father passed away, my family and I were devastated. One of the hardest things we had to do was go through his phone, camera, and boxes of photos. We got through just enough to make him look presentable at his funeral service, but our hearts couldn't handle much more than that.

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We had an unmanageable amount of material, it was truly overwhelming, but it was all so vital to being able to cherish him as the person he was and the roles he played in our lives. My dad's whole life and how he viewed the world were contained within those small captured memories and we all wanted to hear his voice and cherish the time we had with him during our grieving.

 

None of us could bring ourselves to do it for quite some time.  Two years later, I could finally sit down, compile a video, and transfer the photographic prints to digital copies. Being able to sit down and watch that video as a family became a staple for family events. 

 

Grief may be a personal journey, but it's also a shared journey. The healing of such a tragic loss can foster intimate connections among loved ones, and sharing that in itself can be such a great tool for the healing process. 
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We all heal at different rates, and an important component of the healing journey is the memories we hold near and dear. The photos and videos we have of our loved ones need to be preserved, and compiled into beautiful works of art that can provide solace to all of us that experience our losses.