Importance of Scrapbooking

By:Venita S.

I began scrapbooking in the summer of 1997. My now 14 year old son had been released that May from the hospital following a near-fatal asthma attack. I realized how precious life is and what a gift I have been given to have two wonderful children (and a great husband). We were visiting some friends & looking at old photos in magnetic albums when I started thinking about photos my mother had given to me, photos of my children & family & how important they are to me. I soon began my search for a way to preserve & protect the legacy I wanted to leave for my children.

I was adopted as an infant and sometimes feel a sense of "aloneness" about family. I had wonderful parents & a great sister, but often felt a little deprived in the heritage department. My heritage is really not their heritage(not that I really want to find out my TRUE heritage). I felt a need to preserve my childrens' heritage - to establish a sense of belonging for them & their children, grandchildren, etc., that I sometimes feel I don't have. I turned to pictures & scrapbooking as a way to establish that.

I am not always concerned about archival quality, photo-safe, etc. What is important to me is creating scrapbooks that can be treasured for a lifetime. My children love to look at their scrapbooks & mine. They like to see themselves as babies &, of course, to see mom as a funny- looking kid with rhinestone glasses.

My scrapbooks create a bond with my children that a box of pictures just doesn't fulfill. They know that I love making special pages and they love to hear the stories behind the pictures. I can't think of a better way to connect with a 14 year old & a 10 year old than by reliving fun times together through scrapbooks.

Tomorrow at dMarie Daily: Untitled, by Peggy Luckey