Your pain is a reflection of your love for those that have made the journey to another place. It may feel as though part of you has left with them. We never want to part with the memories and hold them close in many different ways. Some memories are captured on film or video, handwriting found in journals, cookbooks or calendars, and personal clothing, hair or jewelry. When a loved one passes, family members usually gather favorite pictures of the deceased to display at the funeral or wake. Sometimes pictures are adhered to large poster boards in a collage and placed on an easel for all the guests to view. This activity is a form of scrapbooking.
We are grief stricken about our loss and want to remember all the wonderful times we shared with them. We are gathering happy pictures because we want to remember them in a positive way. Scrapbooking is such a popular activity today; however, this craft has been popular for a very long time. Scrapbooking allows people to select favorite pictures, tell a story by journaling, and embellish pages with memorabilia significant to the individual telling the story and to the deceased. This could include poems, a recipe, plane tickets, or anything that conveys the message of your scrapbook page.
The word scrapbooking may intimidate some that think of it as an elite craft for creative minded people. "Remembering" is a simpler word to describe scrapbooking. What do you want to remember, how are you planning to convey your memories, and what do you want those in the future to know about your relationship with the deceased? There are certain events that only you and the loved one have had the pleasure of experiencing together. This is your opportunity to document it in a unique and special way.
You can pour yourself into your pages so that when people view this tribute, they also feel as though you are telling the story. Your personality, your handwriting, and your favorite pictures placed in a way seen through your eyes will make your scrapbook dedication one of a kind. It is not just the pictures themselves, but also the presentation and perspective of the person telling the story. You are memorializing your love and in turn, your love will be interpreted by another person in the future.
So many magazines highlight uniform layouts that look as if several hours were spent coordinating colored and patterned paper onto one page. All of these papers are attached by brads, stickers, ribbon, and other adhesives to make the pages very detailed and intricate. After some time of scrapbooking at your own leisure, you will develop your own style whether it is organic and free flowing or more structured and organized. There are no rules. The only concern is using products that are lignin and acid free to preserve your pages for a longer period of time.
Another factor to think about when you are scrapbooking a loved one are your feelings. Most likely this emotion was somewhat captured on film or another medium, however, the fullest understanding of this sentiment can be conveyed through your words and memorabilia. This is where you will be able to explore in depth your pain of missing them and the way they made you feel. If you never truly had the chance to vocalize your feelings in person, take this time to reconnect with those thoughts. It is never too late to express love and gratitude. Keep a journal close by to jot down anything that comes to mind. When the time is right you can compile all of these profound statements to include in your scrapbook. We need to continue living and we need to find a way to heal from our losses. Scrapbooking gives us that outlet by allowing us to preserve their legacy in a positive and productive manner without having their physical bodies present. Love is really the only important factor we need to "Remember" or "Scrapbook" those that have preceded us. The scrapbook pages that we create in their honor are for them, for us and for the future, because they are loved.
Scrapbooking unlike any other craft is an activity that can be enjoyed with a group of friends, family or strangers with the desire to share our experiences, pictures and wonderful memories. We can also solitarily engage in scrapbooking within the privacy of our own homes. Whichever way you create dedication pages, you are preserving a legacy that has been significant to you. Scrapbooking validates the life that once was and provides an outlet memorializing their stories. Talking and sharing will help us on our own grief journey and realize we all share common bonds of missing those no longer with us physically.
Peace Love and Hugs from Above
Diana
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