Scrapbook albums have made a tremendous impact on the life of my
family. Over the last 14 years I’ve completed 60 plus albums for friends
and family. I’ve done wedding albums, baby albums, family albums, and
special event albums. Each and everyone was received with thankfulness
that someone took the time to preserve their life history for others to
share. Out of all the albums I’ve done though, one touched my life so
deeply and is now one of my most cherished belongings.
My grandma, Doris was such a blessing in my life. She loved me dearly and everything she did reflected that. When her only child, my dad, was killed at the young age of 25, she grieved deeply. In many ways that gave her more time to invest in my life.
Grandma had a hard life. She married at just 15 to a much older man of 25, my grandpa. He was quickly drafted into the army and sent to Japan in WWII. Grandma moved home to live with her parents and 7 brothers and sisters. She worked selling shoes in downtown Oklahoma City, riding the bus to work every day. She saved every penny grandpa sent home and when he returned they had enough to purchase a small home debt free.
Doris was very industrious, always trying to save a dime. She sewed clothes for herself and her sisters and later their children. She would find furniture on the side of the road, bring it home and upholster it making it look brand new. She loved garage sales, clearances, and anything that was a bargain. She took care to make her belongings last, valuing each one and using it to it’s fullest potential The one thing she did not value was the photos of her life. They were painful reminders of how hard she had to work and the trials she’d been through. When I started album making she gave me the photos, frequently commenting “I don’t know why you’re interested in those old pictures”. I, on the other hand, was enthralled! I loved seeing how elegant she looked as a newly married bride or how tiny she was while expecting my daddy. Those photos held the key to so much of our family history and a view to who grandma was.
In grandma’s later years her health begin to fail. My grandpa developed Alzheimer and grandma faithfully took care of him. Once again, she was sacrificing so they could have what they needed. Once I became an adult they began to view me as ‘their child’. They adored my beloved and he adored them. When their health got where they could no longer care for themselves, they moved in with us. We did doctors appointments, late night chats, medicines, hygiene, and eventually funeral arrangements for Grandpa.
All that time grandma stayed strong even with her failing health.
You never heard her complain. A few months before her 75 birthday I was
inspired to share with her how she had touched so many others in her
life. I sent a letter to family and friends asking that they send a letter, pictures, and card to me in honor of Doris’ life. I then compiled them in an album to surprise her with. On the day I gave it to her she cried, “This is the best gift I've ever received”. She kept looking through it exclaiming how wonderful it was. I think that album changed Grandma’s life that day. It showed her that her family cared deeply for her…that her friends cherished knowing her…that she made a difference in someone’s life.
In the album are pictures spanning her life. In the back I added letters and photos that were sent from friends and family including:
A thank you letter from her younger sister for helping to sew her wedding
dress.
A special remembrance that she always had cookies and a TV for her baby
brother to watch (when most didn't)
A letter my daddy had written to her when he was 10 and photo of him.
Hand prints of the great-grandchildren and hand written letters.
A birthday card from her Sunday School Class that she had signed herself.
They passed the card around and everyone signed it, but she didn't know who it was for!
Grandma passed away in 2003 and I received her life book back.
It now holds a special place on my shelf to remember my grandma by.
Memories…memories…memories, each so sweet and filled with
smiles and tears. Thank you for letting me share about my grandma!
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