The Many Seasons of Our Lives

By:A dMarie friend from Ohio

I love scrapbooking for many reasons. Of course, I love knowing that I am preserving our family memories in a safe enivironment where they can be viewed and treasured for many years to come. And I am glad that I have discovered a way to say "I love you" to my children long after I have left this world. But most of all I love scrapbooking because it keeps me focused on what really matters.

What really matters is that we don't get caught up in the huslte and bustle of every day life and loose site of what life is really all about. Our family has experienced some difficult times over the past several years. It would be easy to get discouraged when health problems interfere with our plans and ambitions. As I spend time working in my albums I am constantly reminded that our situations change. Sometimes they change so slowly that we think things will always be as they are at the present time. But the old saying is true that time marches on.

I am careful to include everything in our albums. The sorrowful times remind me of our large network of family and friends who are always there to love and support us through our trials. These times teach me to always be on the look out for others who are in need so I can reach out and help pull them through their troubled waters. There will be times in all of our lives when the waters are peaceful and we can enjoy floating along carefree. But there will also be times in all our lives when the waters will get turbulent and we will struggle just to stay afloat. By working on our album in chronologic order I am reminded that both the good times and the bad times will someday just be a page in the book. The final chapter is yet to be written.

Just as the seasons bring change to our environment so do our lives go through seasons of change. Our memory books are more than cute stickers, die cuts and eye catching layouts. They are a reflection of the seasons of our lives. What a gift to travel this journey of life. May we all remember to treasure every minute of it and share the joy with all we meet.

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven" Ecclesiastes 3:1

Tomorrow at dMarie Daily: Scrapbooking: A Labor of Love, by Alycia A.