The Blessings of Memories

By:Michelle O.

I never thought that scrapbooking would change my life. It's not a health cure its more like a heart cure. People come and go throughout our lives and each one can leave an impression on us that we hold in our memory.

After I had my son Clayton. I started to do a scrapbook for him. I have always been one to take a camera everywhere I go and I always have pictures. I love remembering things I experienced I know I have alot of those in my head. It does however make it nice to see the memories in pictures.

Our families live far apart and haven't had the joy of seeing the everyday changes in our son's life. So I usually send pictures to all the aunts and uncles and cousins--you know just to keep them up on whats going on in our lives.

It never occured to me that my grandparents wouldn't be around to see everything going on. I call my grandma to ask about this recipe or that and just to check in. After having my son I wanted him to grow up knowing his greatgrandparents and share in there lives. I started asking questions what about this or that who was this person and where did we come from? I realized my Grandma was forgetting some of the stuff that I know she knows but she is getting older and I guess after 72 years of information its bound to get mixed up.

I have started a family quilt album and have asked each grandparent that are still around on my side and my husbands side of the family to gather pictures. I started making copies and wrote any information as to the who what, where, and when. I also have our aunts and uncles writing down their dates and different things that they remember so all this valuable information isnt lost somewhere in a box of pictures.

The reason I know about the lost information is I have a box in the bottom of my closet that has pictures of people that at one time were really important in my life. I havent seen them in over ten years now and I went back through those pictures and I have forgotten their names. The same people 10 years ago I would have swore I would never forget and I can't remember who they are or how to find them.

There is a blessing in memories but it sure makes the memories alot more real when you put them in a book and write down the who, what, when and where. This is the main thing I have learned through scrapbooking and I hope that my books I am doing for my son will give him all the answers to the questions he will have. When I am gone these memories can be passed down to my grandchildren and maybe they will see the love I have for my family.

Tomorrow at dMarie Daily: Scrapbooking Gives Us Roots, by Cara S.