Well, I survived another very busy weekend. My wonderful husband survived turning 40 (he was feeling this one, and didn't want a big party, so I figure I'll surprise him with one at 43 or some age where he won't be expecting it!), I had a great time at the Big Big Big Sale, 2 of my daughter's had a dance recital and were wonderful of course, and my middle daughter made her First Holy Communion. She looked so beautiful and of course I cried and took lots of pictures. She has the biggest smile and joy just radiates from her face.
I just received an email from a parent of one of the daughter's in Mikaela's class. We have two daughters in the same grades and have become friends as our daughters go along together in school. She is OK with me sharing the email here with you and I am so glad that she "gets it" - what I have been saying over and over again about the importance of scrapbooking. To know that I have touched her life in this way, makes me so happy and all the long hours I put in, so worth it. I'm so glad that she took the time to share this with me and I'd love to hear your thoughts on how scrapbooking has touched your life (comment here or email [email protected]). Get a Kleenex and keep reading...
"With all the hustle and bustle of Sunday, there wasn't much opportunity to congratulate anyone on their 1st Communion. Everyone was so focused on their kids, as it should be, and on what was happening around them. It's always an emotional and wonderful day. My personal memory of my Communion is a sad one, because my mother couldn't be there, so I'm always determined to make it a good one for my kids. So, congratulations !. Can you believe how time flies. They were just babies yesterday, and now #2 is already past Communion. It's put me in a very reflective and emotional state of mind.
I've been reading your PE newsletters, ( got a bit behind ) and as usual, I get teary eyed when you mention family memories, and boxes full of mystery photos. I don't want to burden my kids with such a useless gift, but rather want to turn it into a treasure for them, and you give lots of advise to achieve that. Your passion for scrapbooking is amazing, and inspirational. It has soaked into every fiber of your being. You love what you do for a "living", and your job fuels your passion even further, which makes you more successful at it. That's truly a blessing. How many of us can get so passionate about our jobs? It's a good thing that your enthusiasm is so contagious, because it's truly making a difference in people's lives. How so you ask?
Since discovering scrapbooking I'm learning to take better pictures, and to see special moments in a different way. I'm taking the time to remember, to write stuff down, to slow and enjoy moments, so I can better remember and recall them, rather then just flying through life. Well, that brings me to my title of course. Generally speaking I think envy is not a good thing and can lead down bad paths. However, I make an exception when it comes to scrapbooking, picture taking, and memory preserving. Watching you, and your family, take that group photo at the church, with all those "branches" of your family, sent a current of envy through my heart. You are truly blessed.
Since it was such a special day, reflection was natural and easy, and I took the time to reflect on my own blessings. Now, I have no siblings, and no parents, and my mother in law didn't bother to come BUT I realized that Jorge and I are the new set of roots. We are the off-shoots from two sides of the earth, who've settled in Canada to start a new life. While we don't have many branches yet, on our newly formed family tree, we have the privilege and responsibility to set good roots, so that one day, maybe a couple generations from now, we'll be in that kind of a family photo. Along with that comes the joyous task of documenting and preserving who we are, and how we came to be this family, so we can inspire and guide our children to do the same, and to lovingly add to that tree, branches of their own. If I may continue with this metaphor, then scrapbooking, thanks to you, is an indispensable gardening tool in the cultivation of the family tree.
So you see how a little envy can be healthy, to motivate or inspire.
Now, from a strictly business perspective you could be called a marketing genius, tapping deep into people's emotions and firmly establishing yourself in their lives. Nothing wrong with that, good for you. The benefit of enriching people's lives, & infusing them with your enthusiasm, is something people will appreciate & remember your for. Thank you. I just felt like sharing. I'm sure you've heard similar before.
This email made me cry of course, but from happiness knowing that I've been able to share my enthusiasm for scrapbooking with her and it has made a difference in her life. As I keep saying over and over -It matters that you make the time to scrapbook - it doesn't matter how plain or fancy it is. Years from now, your friends and family will care about the photos and your journalling. They will not care what company the patterened paper is from, or what embellishment you used or that you used the latest technique. These things are all fun to do, but don't let them paralyze you into not taking the time to scrapbook. Keep it simple and get it done.
Trust Us With Your Memories,
Michele
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