Many of us feel shackled when pondering what to do with hundreds, even thousands, of photos and slides accumulated over decades. It only takes a few minutes of perusing old images for nostalgia to set in, and more often than not, the pictures are unceremoniously returned to their filing place/drawer/shoebox knowing that today just isn’t the right day to sort memories and give them their due. Photos and slides represent a snapshot of our lives in the moment, and a cause for contemplation.

The Portuguese have a word for that sense of melancholy or longing that comes upon us in uncertain...