Gone With Grandad

By:Nita Listens To Angels, Visalia, CA

I have always loved old things. It doesn't have to be an "antique", I just love the things that came before! Photographs are especially important to me because they give me a visual memory of something or someone that means something special to me. There is something to be said for family stories and things that belonged to our parents and grandparents. If I own a piece of furniture or a broach or some such tangible "thing", it's important because of it's usefulness, it's history, or who it belonged to before me.

Family stories are wonderful but they may change through the years a bit or some may even be lost if no one passes them on. But photos...they are what brings me the most satisfaction. They are what sparks a memory forgotten for a time, what gives me the smiles or tears or indeed all the emotions that come with looking at the faces of those I love over the years.

Even those photos of 4 different views of "Half Dome" in Yosemite can make me melt with memories. "This one was taken from the valley floor and we went to the gift shop and laughed about how many things could be made with "Half Dome" on them, what a year!" "This one was taken from Glacier Point. Remember how we almost swooned at the view? And the girls made me so nervous when they got too close to the edge of the cliff?" You see? The photos are the catalyst for not only our memories of places, people, and events, but for our deepest emotions about those things.

By organizing, enhancing with scrapbooking, and journaling, we can keep all of those memories AND emotions alive. Not only for ourselves, but for our children, grandchildren and who knows? Maybe there will be a day long into the future when someone uses those books to see how life was lived during our time!

I have very old photos given to me by my grandfather of people I know are family somehow. But since my grandfather has died, I have no way of finding out who these people are and that truly breaks my heart. So I am determined that I will scrapbook and journal not only for my own satisfaction and that of my family now, but to make sure that no one will ever be a face without a name or a place without a memory.

This is more than a hobby, creative outlet, fun with friends experience. Although scrapbooking is all those things and more, it is really (for me anyway) a mission of great importance. I want nothing else to be "Lost with Grandad".

Tomorrow at dMarie Daily: I love scrapbooking because......, by Dianna Brady