Over six years had passed and all the memories of what were once a family was discovered in a medium sized box that had been in storage for over four years. I was unexpectedly surprised when I opened the box and found wedding pictures of a person who I now barely recognized. Becoming completely baffled as to my next move, I withdrew from making a decision on what to do with the photographs. I removed all pictures, without my ex-husband in the photograph, and placed all traces of my marriage in a pile of old knick knacks back in the box. I decided to just seal the box and place it back in a safe place in storage. What to do with old wedding pictures and other pictures of a relationship that is over?
Just recently, I met a wonderful guy. We spent several months talking over the phone and texting back and forth with each other. It was finally time for us to see each other in person. We both were self employed and were extremely busy catering to the daily demands of our respected business. Other obligations such as children, family and traveling were culprits also in delaying us seeing each other again. For me, it was too scary to try to control my feelings when I was completely attracted to him. My heart had been hurt from the breakup of a four year relationship, over a year ago, and I didn’t want to get seriously involved in another one. However, the inevitable was surely breathing down my back. Our birthdays were about two weeks apart and we had planned to celebrate a day somewhere in between the two dates. That would have been our second encounter after meeting back in November; we had met to play tennis two days after meeting.
We had planned to meet up for cocktails but at the last minute his plans changed. He invited me to his place to have drinks there; that was probably a smooth and calculated move on his part. However, when arriving at his house, one of the first introductions that were in plain site was a photograph of him, his ex-wife and their son. The picture was wallet sized and had been apparently in his wallet along with other pictures. I instantly wondered if he was still in love with his ex. I complimented on what a beautiful family he had and dismissed my thoughts. I had just met the guy and didn’t know where our relationship would grow. Apparently, he didn’t realize that he had the pictures out and had been there for a long period of time. What should he have done with the pictures?
I was checking on my best friend Mark to make certain he had arrived back from his laborious trip from Charlotte, NC to rumble through his storage space. He had the storage space for over ten years after moving back to his home town. Within the ten years, he had separated from his wife and now was going through a divorce. The trip, to Charlotte, was a one way flight there and a one way truck rental back. After packing all the boxes and things that he could in the truck, he headed back home on a 12-hour journey. Once at home, he unloaded the boxes and returned the truck. It was then time for him to investigate the content of each box. Old wedding pictures surfaced. He piled them in a separate box to offer to his soon to be ex-wife. She refused and asked him to simply discard them. When Mark told me about the pictures, it sparked a conversation of what to do with old pictures that were no longer significant because it had just happened to me. He informed me that he was boxing the pictures and would make them available to his son when he was a little bit older, if he wanted them. But for now, they went back in the box and in the attic.
With the rampant growing rates of divorces in the United States, millions of couples are faced or will face this dilemma. What do you do with old pictures of past relationships?
Here are some suggestions:
• Store in safe place
• Pass down to children
• Offer to other person (ex-spouse)
• Offer to family and friends
• Discard photographs