With Memorial Day here, this topic seems appropriate though completely coincidental.
I’m in the middle of a move and what fun it has been (not!). However, in the process I’ve taken the time to go through my scrapbook supplies, layouts and other items to be sure that I want everything and that it’s stored the best way possible.
In the process I came across a stack of layouts that had not been placed in an album yet. I giggled and laughed at some of the memories that were depicted on those pages and in the photos. But then I came across a layout that I had almost forgotten about.
Several years ago there was a challenge to create a layout on why you scrapbook. And while there are many reasons why I scrapbook (which I will later detail in an article just for that), the main reason in this layout was obvious. Preserving the good times, the memories that made my heart smile and my mind laugh.
So what was this layout about?
This was a layout I had done about my father, who passed away my senior year of high school. The history of my father and I’s relationship was not a pretty one. We didn’t exactly see eye to eye and we butted heads more than I care to admit. Trust me when I say, there was no “Daddy’s Little Girl”. But in this layout, perhaps someone looking at it, might see how badly I wished there was.
I found my favorite photographs of my father and I together. Mostly from when I was very young. Some were silly, some were sweet and some were very staged. But all were of my father and I.
Because I had a story to tell, and one that I was not comfortable sharing with everyone who might actually see the layout, I chose to include hidden journaling. The journaling told the story of why I scrapbook and the reasoning behind it was to preserve what few good memories I had of my dad. I never had the chance to really get to know him. This was apparent in my journaling.
I also included the lyrics to two different songs that I really think could have been written by me! “In the Living Years” and “The Greatest Man I Never Knew”. These two songs were played for my father before he died so he would understand that while we didn’t see eye to eye, I was trying to respect him, understand him and love him.
My father is gone now, and the feelings I had when I stumbled across this layout were incredible. Instead of recalling the traumatic events of my childhood I had a sense of peace. A sense of longing. I missed my father.
Do you miss someone in your life? Is there someone you want to remember in a special way?
Create a memorial layout for that person and then please come share some of the details with me! I’d love to hear your stories!
Have a Happy Memorial Day!