The photos you forgot you took, and where to find them
The other day, I was digging through a drawer (you know the one: cables, old remotes, mystery chargers … where old gadgets go to die), and I came across an old SD card. No label. Just a little piece of forgotten tech from another time.
Curious, I popped it into my computer. After a few seconds of whirring, there they were: photos from May 2013.
We were in Maui, sun-drenched, salty and blissfully unplugged. Ian had just hit that magical age when your kid is still goofy but starting to tower over you. There’s one photo of him, arms stretched up, measuring his height against Barry’s. He had just passed him. The look on his face? Pride, mixed with the realization: “I’m growing up.”
My mom was there, too, sitting at the lanai table with a pen in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. She was completely focused on the New York Times Crossword in the actual newspaper. No iPad, no apps, just ink on paper and her brilliant mind at work.
And me? There’s a shot of me out on a paddleboard, grinning, hair wild, surrounded by a few of my Hawaiian friends. We weren’t tracking our steps or checking email.
What a forgotten SD card unlocks
We live in a world where our phones automatically back up every blurry screenshot and meme. There’s something magical about stumbling across a photo you didn’t even know you still had, untouched by algorithms, unfiltered and full of feeling.
Today, Mother’s Day, that SD card hit differently. If your mom is still here, give her an extra hug, a call or maybe just a quiet moment together. If she’s not, here’s a hug from me to you. My mother passed away from pancreatic cancer in September 2021. I miss her every day. I found a note from her about me on the internet. You can read it toward the bottom.
Remember: She’s never far. She’s in your smile, your voice, your favorite recipes, and sometimes, she’s in the background of a photo you didn’t know you had.
So here’s my challenge to you: Go hunting. Check the junk drawer, the old camera case, that mystery USB drive. You might find moments that remind you of who you were, who you loved and what truly mattered.
Found a memory gold mine?
Use these free tools to scan, sort and back up your old photos and videos straight from SD cards, DVDs or even printed snapshots:
- Apple Photos (Mac or iPhone): Open the Photos app, plug in your SD card or camera, and import directly. iCloud will sync it across all your devices.
- Google Photos: Automatically backs up photos, sorts by face, date and location, and works on any device.
- Amazon Photos: Free unlimited photo storage for Prime members, plus automatic organization and family sharing.
And don’t forget those physical photo albums gathering dust. Use Google PhotoScan (iOS, Android) to take pictures of the pictures in albums and frames.
Coming soon, I will cover how to back up your photos the best ways possible.
Tags: Apple, Apple iCloud, Google Photos, phones/smartphones, SD card
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