I don’t remember how old I was when I got my first box of photos, but after the first box, every Christmas, every birthday, I always receive more to put in the box. Growing up, I remember my Nana always taking pictures of me, my sister, our cousins, my whole family. When I was younger, I hated it! Holding a pose for 15 minutes was the worst. As much as I hated it, I love being able to look through my photo box to relive those memories. Each picture has its own story behind it and each story is unique. I can look back at my entire life and think about how much I’ve grown, the challenges I’ve overcome, and how much I have changed over the years. These pictures vary: family gatherings, casual hangouts, posed pictures, pictures I didn’t even know were being taken. One of my favorite pictures is of me and my sister at our kitchen table. One morning we woke up and decided to make ourselves breakfast; it didn’t go well. We made a mess that our parents had to clean up. I like to remind myself that whenever I talk negatively to myself, I’m talking negatively to that little girl in the pictures. I tend to believe it’s okay to talk negatively about myself for many reasons; however, saying harsh about that little girl is unfathomable to me. It makes me stop and rethink how I treat myself today because I would never say such mean things to the little girl in the pictures. I will probably continue this if I have kids so they can look back at their life in pictures in the same way. 

– M

Relationship:  Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more Great-grandchild of im/migrant or more