This challenge came from the digiVixen at Anita Stergiou Designs. I've never visited this site before but will be sure to visit again. The challenge was to create a layout that has no photos on it, but includes at least three different and separate photo frames. "Sometimes we have special thoughts, feelings and/or memories about a person or place or event or pet or whatever, but no photos. OR, we could be missing someone who has passed on or something that is no longer in our lives and would dearly love to be able to express that on a page."
When I read that, I thought Oh man (my grandson Luke's favorite phrase), I should have waited to do my layout about Jason until this week, but there was no way I was going to put myself through redoing that layout. But there is another person who has passed on that has been on my mind a lot lately, my brother Dennis, especially in light that his son and his wife had a baby a few days ago. So I decided to write him a letter. I never expected this race to make me reach deep down and journal about my feelings as I have had to do for a couple of these challenges.
The journaling reads:
Dear Denny,
I wanted to let you know that you are a Grandpa. I know you would have been so happy for James and Lindsey and I so wish you were here to meet her. They named her Ella Lorraine.
I miss you and think of you often. I miss our online chats and joint research projects. I have lost the zeal for genealogy since your passing as you were the only one really interested in what I found. Roger and I took up geocaching and when I’m out, I always think of you, knowing it would have been something you would have really loved.
The online Loghry Ledger that you started is still going strong. I will treasure the weekend we spent together at the Council Bluffs reunion forever and our trip home from California.
As you always ended your posts, Friends & Family Forever, Debbie
My brother and I were a great team. I was the family historian, collecting data on those who had gone before us, and he was the gatherer, finding family with the same name, rounding them up, creating a place on the Web for us to gather and share pictures, news, and history. The place he called the "Loghry Ledger" and it is hosted at MyFamily.com. We are still going strong. Denny would end each of his posts and email messages with his catch phrase, "Friends and Family Forever." His wife and son even put this on his stone.
The "Affinity" brush reads as follows: Affinity a state of relationship, a close connection, ...a natural attraction.
Supplies used:
Frame #1: EHI_SSPaper_Stitched_12x12_Border
Frame #2: cwils_foruntous_frame5
Frame #3: Brushed on Frames Clipping Masks by Lauren Bavin Layer_landscapeswirl
(Friends & Family Forever frame within a frame)
10 Naturals9 Paper12_CottageArts
DEB_SS_Paper_Antiquities2_1
E_DecoratedCorner_DCozzi
DSF_Emma_notepaper
Ketcham-PinCharms-02
Font: Bradley Hand ITC
Brushes:
SBA_Fabricated_BrushSet
Beautiful, Mom. From the very first sentence, you had a smile on my face and a tear in my eye.
ReplyDeleteWow.. I couldn't have said it better.. One of my first thoughts when Ella was born is how much dad would have loved to been there and how wonderful and excited of a grandpa he would make. He would definitely loved to have gone geocaching with you :)
ReplyDeleteIf it's ok with you I'd like to print this out for our scrapbook / brag book that we are making