Guest Authors

Thank you to all of our contributors; your stories matter.

Stories

Why Some Stories Take Time to Tell

By Donna Jolley • June 16, 2026

Lately I’ve been working on my 2014 family photo album. It has taken me a while to get to this album. Why, you might ask? Because that was the year my life changed in ways I never expected.

Stories

Some Angels Have Whiskers

By Robyn Foss • March 27, 2026

Recently, my mom had to put her 14-year-old cat, Suzy Q, to sleep. My mom is an 83-year-old widow, and Suzy Q had been her steady companion since 2014. I knew she was going to miss her terribly—miss seeing her and miss holding her.

Stories

Finding Family in Forgotten Photos

By Julie Birrer • February 24, 2026

I’m the family historian and the keeper of our family photos. Recently, a relative on my mother’s side sent me a stack of very old pictures she discovered in her own mother’s closet. Most of them, of course, had no notes about who was in the photos.

Stories

Preserving More Than Pictures

By Brenda Baker • February 19, 2026

Expecting to move in the next couple of months (and noticing the deterioration of several treasured legacy photos and Polaroids turning yellow and fading), I began the daunting task of cleaning out my photographs and memorabilia.

Stories

Solving a Picture Mystery with FOREVER Facial Recognition

By Lori Lafferty • February 11, 2026

During my monthly photo workshop, one of our attendees and FOREVER® Ambassadors, Melanie Olson, brought me an old black-and-white photo, hoping I could identify the people in it.

Gift Ideas

Love, Printed FOREVER

By Matt Gray • January 27, 2026

Some love stories deserve more than a text or a swipe. This Valentine’s Day, turn your favorite moments into tangible keepsakes—beautifully printed, deeply personal, and made to last FOREVER®.

In The Loop

Gifting FOREVER Genealogy

By Keri Maurus • December 15, 2025

The Gift of Genealogy is an unexpected and meaningful gift idea, and FOREVER Family Research could be the answer.

Stories

Bringing My Grandfather’s Photos Back to Life

By Kathy Lanham • November 4, 2025

I’ve always loved photos. They connect us to our past and remind us of who we are and where we came from.

Stories

Celebrating Life During Loss: FOREVER Is Here to Help

By Fran Smitherman • September 15, 2025

Facing illness and loss is never easy, but it’s made a little lighter when the memories we cherish are safe and accessible. In the late stage of my mother-in-law Becky’s illness and passing, I wanted to honor her life in a meaningful way, and FOREVER® helped me do just that.

Stories

Three Photo Collections, One Family Story

By Kelly McGrath • September 9, 2025

For as long as I can remember, my Aunt Rose—one of my dad’s sisters—was the keeper of our family photos. And when I say “keeper,” I mean she had almost all of them. After Aunt Rose passed away, and later her daughter as well, our family lost track of anything she might have saved.

Stories

Why We Do What We Do: A Client Story

By Kathy Lanham • August 25, 2025

I have a client named Traci who shared a truly precious and touching story with me. I first met her at a vendor fair in South Carolina. While we were chatting about FOREVER Digitization, she said, “I have to do this,” and immediately purchased a Small Box.

Tips

Relive Moments

By Andrea Richmond • July 31, 2025

Life is stitched together by moments—some grand like weddings and epic vacations, others delightfully simple like a sunny park day or backyard barbecue. These snippets of joy deserve to be shared and celebrated. We’re thrilled to share new FOREVER® Photo Book designs crafted to make your memories jump off the page.

Stories

From the Desert to FOREVER: A Tape That Time Couldn't Bury

By Shirley Wyatt • June 20, 2025

On December 25, 1990, I was deployed to Desert Shield/Desert Storm. A few months later, I received a VHS tape from my brother-in-law, capturing the Christmas I missed.

Stories

My Baby Girl, My Dad’s Voice, and the Gift of FOREVER

By Macinda Wolff • June 11, 2025

I had a bunch of tapes I hadn’t been able to watch in years – partly because the equipment was outdated, and partly because I never labeled them. I had no idea was even on them! I kept hearing about FOREVER Digitization. So eventually, I thought, “Why not give it a try?”

Stories

One Question Led to an Unexpected Gift

By Erica Burg • May 19, 2025

I was going through old photos in my FOREVER® account, tagging faces using the facial recognition feature. I hit a wall trying to remember the name of one of my son's old hockey teammates. My son, Lucas, happened to be home from college, so I asked him for help—just a quick question, or so I thought.

Stories

A Forgotten Film Became a Family Treasure

By Karen Bowser • April 25, 2025

I had a film reel that my mother gave me years ago – one I didn’t know existed, or what was even on it. When she handed it to me, I had no way to play it. So, I sent it to FOREVER to be digitized.

Stories

A Gift Like No Other

By Tameka Bond • January 24, 2025

"I purchased two Holiday Boxes this past September. I knew this was the perfect opportunity to finally digitize the stack of VHS tapes my mother had sitting around the house for years. I was eagerly counting down the days for my order to be complete. I had no idea what was on many of the tapes, so when I logged into my account on December 12, 2024, I was in for a big surprise."

Digitization

Personalized Calendars: Turning Memories into Treasured Gifts

By Debbie Garland • December 6, 2024

Over the years, I’ve discovered that capturing family memories can be so much more creative than just arranging them in chronological photo albums or scrapbooks. Thanks to my FOREVER account, where all my photos are scanned and organized, I can create special keepsakes in minutes.

Stories

Love & Laughter: Memories Near and Far

By Patt Matsen • November 27, 2024

In quiet moments of reflection, it’s often the simplest memories that tug most at our hearts.

Stories

How FOREVER Brought Music to Life in Print

By Ann Gulledge • November 27, 2024

My client, Norman, produced a documentary about the 1899 Sewanee Tigers football team. It’s an incredible story that would captivate anyone who loves football.