Family Foto Friday

Grandma's Handwriting

Lori Krause • August 17, 2018

As a Photo Life Manager, I help preserve and protect photographic memories and the stories these mementos have to tell, and thanks to my inner hoarder I’ve always kept little mementos like the note in the picture below.

When I was pregnant with our daughter, 24 years ago, we were sure we had picked out “THE” name. Every week when my husband talked to his grandmother, Grandma Flo, she would ask him, ‘How’s my little Ellen Louise?’ Apparently, if my father-in-law would have been a girl she was going to name him Ellen Louise after her two best friends. Jim would laugh, remind her of “THE” name and go on with the conversation, but when our baby girl was born in the early morning hours of October 1st we had a change of heart and chose to name her Ellen.

Later that month, Grandma Flo included $5 and a little note thanking us for naming her new great granddaughter Ellen in our anniversary card. What I did not know at the time was that Ellen is actually a family name on my side of the family as well. My mom’s oldest sister was named Elizabeth Ellen and my great-great grandmother on my mom’s side was Rose Ellen, but my mom only knew her has Grandma Rose. Oh, and THE name that we didn’t use? Jessica. When our daughter heard this story a school aged child, she was mad because her favorite babysitter was a Jessica. Now, as a young adult, she loves her name. Not only because of the significant family connection, but also because she has only met one other Ellen her age.

I treasure that little scrap of paper for many reasons. It’s a reminder of how we used to get birthday and anniversary cards from Grandma Flo always with $5 to show she was thinking of us and loved us, of how we named our daughter, and especially the preservation of Grandma’s handwriting.

You can contact me about how to preserve your photos, negatives, and non-photographic items at lori@krauseinc.com or call Heartland Imaging KC at (816) 492-7974.

Lori Krause Lori Krause is a Photo Organizer and Photo Life Manager. As a photo life manager, she treats your photos and your memories as if they were her own. She provides personalized, local service to organize and preserve photos. Then works with her clients to tell the stories behind the photos.