Good Morning All!

Today is Memorial Day. I know the radio is talking mainly about the military - but I think today is a day to remember all those who have gone before us. I had always thought of it as a "military" type holiday and was surprised when my Dad asked if we'd be coming home on Memorial Day to visit my Mom's grave. To him it was about remembering all of those who have gone ahead of us. And as I've grown older I choose to think of this day the same as he did. Today I am remembering my Mom (who passed away in 1998), my Dad (who passed away 2 years ago August), my daughters (who passed away in June/July 1997), my neice, my BIL, and several friends as well.

Scrapbooking is a great way to remember those who have gone ahead of us. Whether it is someone you never met (a miscarriage perhaps) or a parent you've known your whole life. You have memories and thoughts related to that person. I spoke once to an infant loss group. The losses ranged from miscarriages to babies who'd died of SIDS. I shared my album that I made of my daughters who had only lived a few days. So I had few pictures. But I had a lot of memories. And I had appointment slips for the OB. And notes from friends. Etc, etc. A scrapbook is a great place to showcase these items. I've also been working on albums for my parents. My Mom never spoke about her childhood nor did she have any pictures. After she passed away I contacted one of her siblings who was gracious enough to share some photos and some stories. My Dad was a WWII veteran (one of the original Darby's Rangers) and it was always a MAJOR part of his life. So his album I started with that. Thanks to some pull from another Ranger we were able to get the full military burial for my Dad. It was the first I'd ever been to and it was an awe inspiring experience. We had several people taking photos at the burial and I've used those to start an album for him.

I will share photos of all three of my memorial albums in a bit. In the meantime, take some time to hug those you love that are still with you and remember those who are gone. Take time now with your loved ones to get memories/stories down on paper before they are lost forever.

Jane