To Grandpa Ralph, Love, Jazzmine

To anyone grieving a loss this holiday season, know that my heart is with yours. This year was my first Christmas/birthday without my Grandpa Ralph, who passed away earlier this year in September. Since I could remember, my grandparents have always been the first people I’ve talked to every Christmas morning, but things were different this year. I called my grandma, and that’s when reality hit. It’s an adjustment for all of us, but I feel for my grandmother the most since they were together for 60+ years (could you imagine being with one person for that long???!).

Since I was a kid, I’ve always enjoyed looking through old photos. It’s cool seeing the different paper types, what people were wearing, their surroundings, and what people looked like decades before. I even enjoy the smell of old photos, lol. Between my mom and grandma alone, they have 1000s of printed photos, so I thought it would be a good idea to start a digital archive so that we could hold onto these memories forever. What I love most about these photos is they show my grandpa’s character. He was one of a kind for sure. Most of these photos were discolored from their age, so I made some color adjustments in Photoshop while preserving their vintage feel.

To Grandpa Ralph, I love you. I think of you daily. No other grandpa can come close to being as cool as you were. Thank you for loving me unconditionally, always making me feel special, and supporting me even when I thought I knew it all. If it weren’t for you and Grandma Bettie, I don’t know where I’d be. I miss you.

Forever Moore ❤

June 26, 1941 – September 23, 2020