My brothers and I have been sorting through my dad’s estate this month, an emotionally draining task. One of our biggest problems is what to do with all the things that Dad treasured, and none of us have any space for. I have started taking photos of everything – that way I can remember them without actually having to have them.
Dad’s flags, clockwise from bottom right: Denmark, where he came from; Canada, where he immigrated to; Sweden, where he worked for awhile; and the Red Ensign, Canada’s flag when he first came to the country in 1950.
Dad’s paintings: Every wall in his place was completely covered with family photos and his paintings. The real estate agent implied that they are too personal and too bright to stay on the walls. I have no idea what to do with them all; my only storage space is already overly full of my own paintings. Below is dad’s painting of himself with Rocky the dog, and Twinkle the cat, in front of the fire. Like most of our family pets, both these animals adopted my parents rather than visa versa. They showed up one day looking hungry, my parents fed them and they showed up the next day, and the next until at some point they moved in.
Dad’s Discovery Channel Cap: Dad sent one of his paintings along with a little story about his favourite horse to Discovery Magazine. The editor sent him back this cap, and a hand-written three page letter discussing the thoughts that went into his letter. I haven’t yet found the letter as there is still a lot more painful sorting to go through, but I’m sure I will find it eventually. Dad never threw anything out, another trait I’ve managed to inherit from him.
For more on this weekly photo challenge see: http://dailypost.wordpress.com/2014/02/14/photo-challenge-treasure/
- More of My Dad’s Stories.
- More of My Dad’s Paintings.
Albatz Travel Adventures 
I’ve been there – it’s hard – and your idea to photograph everything is a good one. But do remind yourself that in doing that, you’re impacting yourself again emotionally. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, just that you need to take a break now and then and collect yourself.
When I look at these photos I feel really close to my dad, and sad too. After he saw my post my brother sent me an email saying, “I’ll never wear it but I couldn’t part with the hat. It’s coming home.”