by Doris Sander
The saying goes “a picture is worth a thousand words.” And I could not agree more!
I often say that photos speak to me. I know this sounds a bit odd, but let me explain what I mean by that comment.
As a scrapbooker, one of the ultimate joys in my life is capturing a great set of photos. I love loading them onto my computer so I can revel in their details and relive the happy moments.
“The Bug Hunter” celebrates a recent outing that my son and I shared. I’ve documented it by stringing my favorite photos from that day along a line of festive pennants.
The journaling reads, “One of your favorite activities each spring is to go bug hunting at the park. You are not concerned with your attire, only your gear, so boxers and black socks are ok.”
I could totally stop here with this whimsical multi-photo layout– after all, I’ve gotten the memory recorded. However, here is where the photo speak comes in.
I went back to these same photos for my layout “Biologist” because there was still more of this memory I wanted to share.
Those black dress socks broadcasting my son’s lack of fashion sense reminded me of an old college friend who was a total science geek. I have many fond memories of walking in the park with him on Sunday afternoons and you guessed it . . . he’d leave his black church socks on with his shorts and simply could not understand what the big deal was. I was delighted by this memory and the thought of my boy growing up to be an awesome science geek too.
The journaling reads, “I was so amused by your attire when we went to the greenway after church this day. It reminded me of another guy . . . inside out tee, boxers, and black socks with your tennies . . . typical scientist. When I was in college, one of my friends was a biology major who bred poison dart frogs and kept a beehive in his apartment. We’d go walking in the park after church some days and he’d change into shorts and a t-shirt, but leave his black dress socks on with his tennis shoes. I thought it was so funny and he just didn’t get the point of the fashion faux pas. To him it was a waste of time and energy to change a perfectly good pair of socks just because of the color. His scientific brain couldn’t get the concept and his absent minded professor mentality contributed to the problem. I think you are the same.”
I know my son will really get a kick out of reading this some day and knowing the full meaning behind this page. This is actually one of my favorite type layouts to make too–because comparing the past and the present gives a very thought provoking spin on your journaling.
Now I really was done scrapbooking with this set of photos. I already had two layouts that I loved from an afternoon of chasing butterflies. But then I had a bad week. To get things back in perspective, I decided that I needed to remind myself of all the blessings in my life.
This started out on my blog, and since I can’t blog without a picture, I looked through my photo files for an appropriate photo to go with my journaling. The title of my blog post was, “In the Pursuit of Happiness,” and I found myself reaching for these same butterfly photos because they fit my thoughts so perfectly.
The journaling for this layout comes from my blog post about choosing happiness.
This layout is another one that I really want my son to read when he gets older as it shares my views on something I think is very important in life . . . positive thinking.
I hope my thoughts here have given you a new perspective on some of your own favorite photos. The next time you’re stuck on your journaling, try letting your photos speak to you! Maybe they will trigger a sweet story from your past or an insight that you would like to pass along to future generations.
You have a story to tell . . . let your photos help you tell it!
[dsander]
