Each of us received some wonderful Christmas gifts this year. Some were practical; some were fun. Some were expected; some were surprises. But by far the best gift I received was a family heritage scrapbook album made by my mom.
It includes not only photos, dates and names of many of my ancestors but also photos of people and milestone moments from my own life. My mom made a similar album for my sister. The first half is the same as mine, but the second half was just about Karen’s life.
When I first opened the scrapbook, I was in tears thinking about the time and love my mom put into this gift. As I slowly moved through the book, I thought about the special people and special moments in my life. And then I started to see Avery’s face and personality in so many of the pictures. Now I can’t wait to show Avery her own heritage in this amazing scrapbook.
Since I can’t show you the entire book, I want to share some of my favorite pages with you: (I apologize for the poor photographs and even poorer cropping. My scanner isn’t large enough to accommodate the 12×12 pages.)
This was such an amazing gift because it was an unexpected one and because it was handmade with love by my mom. My mom would never call herself a scrapbooker, but she really has a lot of talent. Plus, the pictures, notes and handmade touches are more important than the scrapbook techniques Mom used. Each time I look at this book, I’ll think about how much my mom cared for me that she made me this book. And I’ll also remember all of the special people who made me the person I am today.