Lots of people scrapbook for different reasons. For example, I never dreamt I would be a scrapbooking fanatic... until I had my daughter. And then I wanted to make every moment into a photograph. And after that I wanted to make a way to showcase those photographs that was as beautiful and wonderful as she was in those photos. You know, my mom doesn't have many pictures of me as a child. She has plenty of my brother and my sister. They were both firsts. My sister was my mom's first child. My brother was the first boy. I was just the kid in between. She admits that she wasn't very good about taking pictures of me. And I realize, it isn't the photos that mean so much to me, but the moments that those photos represent. Timeless moments. Even everyday moments. My daughter will always change, always grow. And when she is 15, I want to be able to cherish these 2 year-old memories with her.
I found out this year that I have a disease that is affecting my brain. It will never go away and could get worse over my lifetime. Now, more than ever, it is important to me that I document all of the everyday things that most moms take for granted. Someday, I might not remember them, or I might not be able to tell her the stories of her childhood. These scrapbooking pages could be the next best thing. Someday, she will ask me about the day that she was born, and I will be able to pull out the scrapbook and not just tell her, but show her.
Not everyone has the pleasure (or even the desire) of having a child. Some people scrapbook their friends, their husband or wives, their cars, or even their vacations. They will forever be able to cherish and hold on to the emotions, the memories, and the special everyday moments that they have scrapped. They are the lucky ones. If they get alzheimers or just poor memory skills as they age, they will always be able to look at those pages and feel some emotion, re-read some of the memories, and share them with those they love.
I have met several fun and interesting people through digital scrapbooking forums, my blog, and locally at different events. The people who scrapbook seem to have a real appreciation for the beauty in a regular day. The things so many people overlook. Things I might have overlooked had I not gotten interested in this hobby/addiction. I thank those of you who make this all possible. Designers, fellow scrapbookers, and of course my daughter for modeling for me without even knowing it :)
2 comments:
Yes, my scrapbooking obsession will preserve the memories I have of both my daughters (12 and 3) and of their life while growing up! I have been scrapping since the beginning of the year and so enjoy every aspect of this wonderful hobby!
I am so sorry to hear about what is happening in your brain. Take one day at a time and continue to share these joyous times with your family and daughter and preserve all those precious memories for all of you to remember forever!
I think it's wonderful that you are do love scrapping. Your children, even the middle ones, if you choose to have more will be just as special as your first one is because of the way you were raised.
The scraps will show them how much they meant to you when you are not able to show them anymore. I only wish I had gotten into scrapping when my own children were children. They are both grown and gone now, and all I have are the things I saved from their lives as children. I saved everything though, even all their report cards, and that wonderful plaster handprint of from when my son was 5 years old in kindergarden. My daughters paintings and drawings, and lots of pictures of the fun times we had. I never had my own camera, but there was always someone around taking pictures.
hugs,
Nj0
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