This is Why I Scrap

By:Mary-Claire G.

Scrapbooking is important to me because it has become a way of expressing myself, preserving our family memories, finding a link to the past, and learning so much about my family past and present. I recently was given a pile of family photos from my father's childhood, handed to me in a cardboard box, with bits and pieces of an old black paper album clinging to the edges of the black-and-white photos.

Because of my interest in scrapbooking, I wanted the photos to copy. I might not have seen these photos for years (or ever), if my family did not recognize my interest in family history due in large part to my love of scrapbooking. In these photos I can see where my son gets his mischievous smile (he is definitely his grandfather's grandson!), his interest in animals, and his delight in all things new and interesting.

I "met" my grandparents who passed away long before I was born. I saw the love among my father's siblings. I also "met" my uncle who was killed in WWII. As my father rarely talks about himself, these pictures spoke thousands of words to me, about himself, about me, and about my child, and hopefully generations to come.

Before returning the photos I took care to safely store them in an archival album, complete with labels, so that we will always know and treasure the people in those photos, which is something that may never have happened if I did not know and love scrapbooking. My mother had tears in her eyes when she looked at this album, which was very simply done, but a labor of love nonetheless.

This is why I scrapbook, to share and preserve our thoughts, feeling, hopes, dreams, and love. And if I'm really lucky many more photos, with their stories will come my way.

Tomorrow at dMarie Daily: Thank Heavens Scrapbooking Came Into My Life , by Michelle Rae Sperl