Memory Keeper: Celebrating and Remembering Someone We Lost and Still Love

The Memory Keeper is a special space just for you, to remember someone you love who is no longer here. You can draw, color, paint, glue, or create new things on the pages.... whatever feels right for you and your heart. You can also write on the pages in any order you want. This is your space to honor your memories and let your feelings flow freely.

You may notice that these pages are colorless. The empty space is waiting for you to bring color to it with your own emotions. What do you feel as you think about your loved one? Is it a memory that makes you smile or a moment that makes you feel sad? Let your feelings show up in color, in words, or in whatever way helps you express yourself.

And remember, it's okay to feel all sorts of things while you work through your memories. Sadness, anger, happiness, excitement-there are no wrong feelings. What's most important is that you notice them all, because they are part of you, and part of the love you have for the person you've lost.

Holly Garner has been an educator for over 30 years. Her experience as a teacher, reading specialist, elementary principal, and most importantly, a mom of three boys, helped develop her passion for social emotional learning in schools. Currently, Holly serves as the Director of the Grace B. Luhrs Elementary Lab School and an Associate Professor at Shippensburg University in Pennsylvania. She has written 9 other children's books, including Letters from Leo, More Letters from Leo, STUCK, The Memory Keeper, and the Emotion Ensemble series. In her free time, Holly enjoys playing games with her family, playing pickleball, reading on the beach, and planning parties.