No Time For Perfection

I'm up to my eyeballs in a BIG project, and here's how it started:  I have often needed to put my hands on a photo, to remind Gary of an old friend, or event that I'm referring to.  Not TOO tough for the more recent years because of photo albums, but for the first 10 years (or so) of our marriage we shot only slide film.  Great for family picture nights, but now, setting up the projector, and finding the right image, would take so long that the thought would be lost, so I figured having them on a disc would be much quicker. With one disc per year, and the different events in separate folders, I can locate a photo MUCH quicker.  

Once I decided to do this, I thought, how about getting some of these great memories into simple photo albums that Gary can enjoy any time.  SO, thanks to Shutterfly.com, I am ordering 8" X 8" Photo Books.  I'm done with the first 3 years, 1977 is in the mail, and 1978 is almost ordered. 

I been reliving some fantastic memories of babies, vacations, friends, home improvements, and family times.  It takes FOREVER to organize the slides into groups, and get them scanned, BUT it is worth it.  Then creating and captioning the book in a way that is simple and easy to read for Gary is icing on the cake.  When the first one arrived in the mail box, (1974, the year we dated and married), it was like Christmas in my heart.  When your loved one has lost so much memory and the long term memories last the longest, the prospect of sharing some of them in a way that he will understand is so exciting.  So often I will hand Gary a book to look at, or a magazine and he seems disinterested, so I didn't know what to expect when I laid the Memory Book in his lap and began turning the pages.  He picked it up and really looked at each page.  I am SURE he was understanding.  We were sharing some special times again.  Me talking about them, and Gary looking at the photos.  I know he still reads short sentences, or phrases, so I purposely made the captions simple.  I sent one with him to the Adult Day Health Care program he goes to so the health care workers could know him better.  They loved the book and being able to talk to him about his life.  I plan to send the other books from time to time as well.  When "1976" arrived and I showed it to him, page by page  he said, "That's comforting."  That was the only thing he said to me that day that made sense, but it was enough.

Now for a big lesson I've learned, and a link to a good book.  I need to give a bit of background so you'll understand the impact this little book had on my life.  I actually LOVE to organize things.  Even though my desk doesn't show it, I like things in their proper order.  One of the reasons my desk has stacks is that each stack needs to be dealt with, and filed, and I still haven't completed the file relabeling project I started last year.  That is because I want it to be "just right."  That's a problem I have.  Sometimes I don't get things done, because I want to do them "perfectly" so I sacrifice excellence and order in the meantime.  I tend to over organize, and plan, plan, plan, and not get to the DOING.  Furthermore, when it comes to a final product that has anything to do with "photos" or "art" I want it to look GOOD.  Well, when it comes to Gary's memory, I believe that "time is of the essence."

The Lord introduced me to this insightful book, at just the right time.  It is a short, easy read with wonderful principles that any woman would benefit from.  I HIGHLY recommend it.  It helped me let go of my idol of Perfectionism, and put together some little books, that may get torn, finger printed, food stained, and have photos that are less than perfect, or may be missing some of the prettier scenes.

The author sheds light on common idols that we can be tempted to worship.  Perfectionism, Busyness, Possessions, and Leisure.  You will see yourself in this book.  It really helped me out at a time I needed it.  I hope it helps you too.  It is called The Organized Heart-A Woman's Guide to Conquering Chaos by Staci Eastin

I got mine on Amazon.com but I think you can buy 6 copies for a good discount direct from the publisher:  http://CruciformPress.com

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