Connected Souls

By:Yvonne Kaylor

I truly believe in miracles! My neighbor was known as "Mr. Mom" to all the children on our block. He was unable to work due to a severely damaged heart, but he connected with all the children. He could listen, play table games, joke with them, give them guidance, and above all give them love.

He and I were both due for major surgery and we shared our fears, even though we had great faith. In order to perk each other up, we made a pact to phone each other from our hospital beds in separate hospitals after we recovered. We were both scheduled for surgery the same day and being the same age, we decided to support each other through recovery.

Very simply. I survived and he did not. I felt all kinds of emotions and a great loss of a neighbor and a friend. I was devastated. I was not sure how I would cope, but I felt worse for his wife and family.

Praying for strength, my neighbor's wife was led to scrapbooking. At first she made a memorial album of her husband for her children. After she found it theraputic, she continued to make albums for her children. Finally she had the courage to show them to me. I was immediately interested in the concept of preserving memories, photos, and learning how to do all this.

I have now become an avid scrapper,meeting many wonderful people I have bonded with in a special way. My own children are older now and they do scrapbooking also. I love it because it has become something we can do as a family, and it is done with love. It has become important to me as I age and face a new millenium, leaving a legacy behind for my grandchildren and great grandchildren perhaps.

I draw inspiration and strength from my scrapbooking. I find inner peace and contentment. I find all the good things God has placed in my heart. I think if my neighbor had survived, he would be making scrapbooks. But somehow I feel like connected souls where he is concerned. His death brought scrapbooking into his wife's life and mine and our children. Yes, I believe in miracles...and I feel my neighbor has made contact with me in a very special unique way. Since he could not reach for my hand, he touched my heart instead.

When someone you care about becomes a memory, that memory becomes a treasure. And that is why I treasure my albums filled with memories and the joy I get from scrapbooking. It has changed my life forever!

Tomorrow at dMarie Daily: What Scrapbooking has meant to me, by Raquel W.