The Art of Giving

I went to the funeral of a friend on Wednesday -- someone I had known for more than 20 years. She passed away four months after learning that she had pancreatic cancer. What an insidious predator that is.

She suffered, as did her family. In the early stages of her illness, she continued to show her sparkly self, declaring that the good thing about getting to heaven would be that she would be healthy, finally -- and SKINNY. She loved that idea, having struggled with her weight the past two decades.

One of the many great things about her was that over the past few years, she learned sign language, so that she could help people. She even used it when her church began sending groups of people on mission trips to Myanmar, to a children's home there, where the hearing-impaired children learnd about God for the first time. She gave much so that they could "hear," and she loved every minute of it.

Today's gift word art is in her memory, and in celebration of her life.

So, what is your weekend like? We have a high school graduation to attend, and an Eagle Scout Court of Honor to attend -- both of which I'll be photographing as well. Rites of passage are so important, and I look forward to helping my sister scrapbook these events for her youngest son. How fun is that!!!

I've got a backlog of scrapbooking to do, myself. I tend to be a "hunter-gatherer," collecting all the paper, digital art, elements, embellishments, shiny stuff, vintagey stuff, fun stuff, glue sticks, photos, postcards, etc., that we use to make our albums even more beautifully memorable ... then I stare at the bags and piles of stickers, rub-ons and what-not, just WILLING it to leap into some organized fashion all its own ... then awhile longer, I take, to mull over the process that I'll use on this one ... then some time later, I'll finally dive in, after I'm sure I have everything I need. The next day, I'll then make a run to at least two craft stores to find something else to make the album perfect ... there's no such thing as having everything you need, huh, when you're as obsessive-compulsive as I am about it, I guess. :)

I'll probably pop in later today with another word art for you, so check back. In the meantime, have a splendid day.

Blessings,
Melanie
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