Hello Blog Friends,
As I mentioned in my last post, I made two small size memory books in the last couple of weeks. The first was for my boss, Lynn, to commemorate her 50th birthday. The second book is a more reverent work, it is a memorial book of my mother, Fran, who passed away last summer.
Fran lived a very long and rich life, with many friends. She lived in Reno for 15 years. When she retired from working life, she and her husband Jim moved to Grand Junction, where they lived for 15 years. She moved home to Wisconsin after Jim's death 9 years ago. While in Grand Junction, she made many friends, who could not for obvious reasons, attend her funeral service here in Wisconsin. A trip is planned to visit some of those friends, and I wanted to take something other than just loose photographs to share with them.
My brother and I actually held three different good-byes for Mom. A funeral was held last August. We also buried a small portion of her ashes next to our Dad, and just this last May, traveled to Colorado to release her ashes on a high mountain pass just west of Denver.
The book I chose to make is a collection of photographs from these events. I also included a copy of the Eulogy I wrote and gave at her funeral, some favorite poems of hers, and a copy of the service I wrote for the burial of ashes. I think the book turned out very well. What do you think?
I choose to think of this book as an outgrowth of the healing processes involved in closure and letting go.
This book was made with an "Everyday Album" using My Crush Everyday Life Pages, all from Close to My Heart. The 3-ring binder is a hard cover black album with a gold foil design. The pages are 8 3/8" x 6 7/8" size, just large enough for two 4" x 6" prints. There are also page protectors available in three different styles. I chose the 8" x 6" full pocket, so I could insert my typewritten pages.
Next up...my first project as a retiree!
