SOCIAL MEDIA

Sharing Our Stories

9.13.2008

It's so strange sometimes, the way life works. Or seems to not work. A couple of days ago I was visiting a blog of another fellow scrapbooker and she had posted a self-portrait of herself and I commented (on a messege board that we both frequent) that I really liked her shot. I actually went back to it at least three times after viewing it that first time. We've commented here and there for a couple of months now on each other's blogs and I've gotten to know her a bit through her pages (those that she's posted on her blog and on online galleries). Her name was Aleida and she was killed yesterday in a car crash while driving to work. She has two brilliant, bright-eyed little children and a husband. Just like that their lives have been forever changed and detoured. It's crazy, there has been such an outpouring of support, love and compassion for this family already by scrapbookers from all over the world. People are creating cards to be sent to the family, people are organizing a group to print Aleida's blog and make it into two books (one for each of her children), other people are actually creating scrapbooks for her family. It's just amazing. It's amazing and it got me thinking. Why? Why is it that there are so many women that do this? That create pages upon pages upon pages of photos and stories and wishes and dreams. Why do we post them here on our blogs and on galleries? Submit them to magazines and go to workshops and classes? Why do we do this? Why this exactly? Why do we reach out in this venue? My conclusion comes round and round again to this...I believe that it's to simply share our story. Share ourselves. If you think about it...how often in any given day are we allowed the chance or the opportunity to really let someone in? Especially another woman? This scrapbooking is the gathering of goods (the bad too) and the telling of us. Grant it, there is the product, the pace of the industry, the business and the craft itself but the sharing part is something more. It's the letting in and the giving at the same time. It's the nod of "oh yes, I can relate to that" and the ooohs ahhhs of someone capturing something so very special and getting it down so that it will be remembered exactly the way that it actually was. I can't even tell you the friendships that I've made through this amazing hobby and the connections I've made. It's a pretty blessed thing in itself. To share, to accept and to grow. To inspire others by being you. My heart is just breaking for her little ones right now...
Nathalie Kalbach said...

So so true! wonderfully written! Thank you!

Kim Watson said...

Boy I was so shocked to hear the awful news! I feel for her family & what they must be going through.

Very true & I agree with you completely.
TFS!!
X

Anonymous said...

Awww Jen you have such a beautiful soul

{{{{{{{{{{hugs}}}}}}}}}}

Mrs Pretzel said...

I "met" Aleida through Scrapping the Music last year, and she was a beautiful person inside and out. I just wanted to take a second to tell you that I appreciate getting to "know" you through your blog here on the www.