Cheers
Give a Cheer
Give a Cheer
This is an updated version of one of my older layouts. I was unhappy with my original layout, and decided to try to think outside the box for my revised layout.
The names of the two women are hidden behind the license plate, in symbolism to the incredible gift that I received when I asked my Mother when this photo was taken!
Used the following Basic Grey papers from the Sublime Collection - Vintage Floral, Strawberry Cream and Patchwork.
License plate and stickers are by Sticker Studio.
I used Making Memories Molding Strips to make a frame around my photo. I used acrylic gesso and black acrylic paint to age the frame.
Font: Times New Roman
Ribbons by Offray and Making Memories.
Journaling:
My mother had Alzheimer’s Disease, and for six years, I longed to talk
to her about it. However, there were four children in our family, and we
could not agree, at the same time, that it was the right thing to do. One
of my sibling’s primary reason for not wanting to tell her was that often
times, Alzheimer’s and depression run hand in hand, and Mama was
happy. She whistled everywhere she went. It was one of the ways that
the retirement center, where she was living at the time, could keep up
with her.
Mama and I were very close. They say mothers and daughters share a
special bond ~ and it was certainly true in our case. There were not
many things that we couldn’t talk about, and I desperately wanted to
talk to her about her illness. In September, 1995, Mama was on a roller
coaster ride downhill. Once again, I approached my family, and was
turned down. I finally had to resign myself to the fact that I would
never be able to have the opportunity that I so desperately needed.
I started my first scrapbook in March of 1996. I showed my Mother
this picture, and asked her when it was made. As she stood at the desk
of the Wilkinson Center, she looked at the photo, and said “Who is
that?” I said, “Mama, it’s a picture of you with your Mother; it was in
your dressing room – don’t you remember?” She looked at me and said,
“No, I don’t remember. I think I have Alzheimer’s, but no one has ever
told me.” My mouth dropped wide open, and I asked her to repeat what
she had just said, and she did!
I closed my album, and walked Mama down the long L shaped hall. I
sat her down on her bed, and asked her to repeat what she said earlier.
I knew that she wouldn’t be able to, because she couldn’t tell you what
she had said two seconds before, much less the several minutes it had
taken us to get her settled in her room. Then God gave me the sweetest
gift – He gave me back my Mother. The roles reversed again, and I
became the daughter, and she became my Mother. As I answered her
questions, she brushed away the tears that were streaming down my face.
With the utmost clarity, she said, “Alicia, it’s OK. If that’s what God has
planned for my life, it’s OK. If that’s God’s will, no matter how bad it
gets – It’s OK.” The weight of the world had just been lifted from my
shoulders.
I called my husband, and let him answer her questions, and then we
snuggled in her bed, just as we did when I was a little girl. Mama
didn’t mention it the next morning, and neither did I. I felt as though
I could walk the 187 miles from Toccoa to Carrollton.
You see, I thought that God was preparing me for what I feared the most,
that Mama would no longer be able to recognize me. However, His
perfect plan was different, and she died just two and one half months
later – and although it was terribly painful, I knew that it was OK.
No products have been added to this project.
Thanks for spreading positivity!
February 18, 2005
February 14, 2005
February 10, 2005
February 10, 2005
January 31, 2005
December 03, 2004
November 06, 2004
November 02, 2004
November 02, 2004
November 01, 2004
October 31, 2004
October 31, 2004
October 31, 2004
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October 30, 2004
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October 30, 2004
October 30, 2004