I recently bought a photo scanner to start the process of importing my old photos into the digital world. There are several reasons to do this, but none are interesting enough to share.

Scanning photos is a slow process. I could hire someone to do it, but I’m not in a race against time. Eh, that’s not true. Everyone is in a race against time, but for the sake of this project, if I do a little now and then, I will have it completed by the end of the year.

However, the process is more than simply setting the photo on the glass and tapping the scan button. Each print requires a flash of remembrance, which leads to a second or two of happiness, sadness, or regret. Those moments would be lost if I were to hire out the job.

Scanning the photos has allowed me to share the process with my brother, Jason, who passed away a few years ago. He battled drug and alcohol addiction and lived his final years on the streets.

But in these photos, he’s still the sweet young kid with an infectious laugh.

Tapping that scan button has permitted me time in Army again. I spent four years in the military—more than half of that was spent in Germany. It was a great experience, and I made many friends.

Living and worrying about today has caused me to forget many moments. Taking time to scan those photos has let me recall them.

By the way, the photo at the top of this post was from my days at Fort Lewis, Washington. I was assigned a support role to an attack helicopter unit. What a fun gig for kid fresh out of high school!

I’m sure I’m not the only one to have gone through this photo-scanning process. I’m finding it a slow but enjoyable one.

Have you done something similar? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

This post originally appeared as part of a subscriber newsletter.

A Trip Down Memory Lane