It is no surprise that journaling has become my favorite aspect of scrapbooking. While photos can tell a story about what happened at an event, they do not convey the same emotions as writing. When I journal, it is important for me to express my current thoughts and feelings. It is a way for me to share those feelings with my family. It is a way for me to remember the special, even the forgotten, times in my life.
When I want to scrapbook an emotion, I start with that emotion and find a picture that can help convey it. I want my emotion to be the core of that layout, so I begin with my journaling and work my pages around it. All other elements – the photographs, the papers, the embellishments – play a supporting role in scrapbooking my emotions. The words I use to express how I feel make the most important part of my pages. They reveal each event or moment in my life. Those words will encourage my family years from now when all we are left with is a hint of our memories.
I love how my pages can capture these emotions. It is so important for me to remember how I feel, because those feelings have helped to build my character. They have made me into the person I am today. They are the drive behind my actions, and play an important role within myself and my family.
Now that our family has grown, I want my son to see my pages and understand just how I feel about him. I want him to know how much he is loved, how he challenges me and how he has changed my life. Right now he is only two years old, and it is tough at times to teach him the values I want to instill. Years from now, however, he can read my journaling and understand just how I felt and why I tried so hard to teach him the necessities of life. He can understand that although circumstances will waver, my feelings for him are always constant. This is what I want to accomplish with my pages and this is why I scrapbook.
