I have been scrapbooking funerals for years. It seems somewhat wrong but then it feels right in my brain. The event must be smooshed between the pages of my scrapbook as it's all part of real life. If I am lucky, a little part of me heals as I glue and ink up the paper.
On March 28th we lost our good friend Joe to Leukemia. Blogged about it the day after it happened.
It seems like just yesterday. A lot of life has happened between then and now and nothing stops moving.
The funeral itself was tough. I haven't been to an open casket funeral since I was little. My kids have never been to one. It was held local to where THE MAN and I grew up. Since Joe was Lexi's Godfather, we felt that we should bring the kids to calling hours. We all made it for about 4 whole seconds in front of the casket before we skipped the rest of the receiving line and headed out into the cold to wipe our eyes.
Part of the service was a meal at a local Italian restaurant, The Franklin. Joe had prearranged it ahead of time, which I guess is the luxury of knowing that you are dying.
I have lots and lots and lots of photos of Joe in various scrapbooks. He was at many events over the years. Opted to use a photo of The Franklin instead when I made my page. The lunch was very nice and a small bright spot at the end of the sad part. It was also very thoughtful of Joe and his wife Marilyn to help us through his funeral.
Used this very cool ScrapFriends sketch. NEVER in a trillion years would I think to make my paper do this! Very happy how it turned out.
Here is a side view so you can see the dimension.
Had to add just a few flowers and leaves as they made me happy. Of course, always love using a white pen on some kraft!
Now, if you have taken a peep at his obituary that I printed out in vellum you will see a couple of interesting things. For one, he has five godchildren. Since that is quite the honorary title, it just goes to show you what kind of dude he was. The second interesting part is that Marilyn listed the dogs and cats. Being a huge pet lover, that made me smile.
Back tomorrow with my cabinet. I've been really excited to share that with you! Saved my excitement for Friday!
Tough gig - good on you for scrapping it. I would never have thought of doing that. Therapeutic, it would be, too. I LOVE what you've done with our sketch at SF...This is seriously FABULOUS....it just seems to fit perfectly for what you wanted to do with the page. Great use of vellum there, too!!! Sad times...but he WAS lucky to be able to organise his own send-off. Can't wait for the unveiling tomorrow:):):)!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteGULP...Joe and his wife are obviously wonderful people and it sounds like a very sweet and special gathering that was planned. Love that you scrapbooked real life here..the good and the sad. It's a wonderful LO Mitra and the velum is a perfect choice. Not sure if there is symbolism intended, but I found it to be beautiful and fragile all at the same time...just like life.
ReplyDeleteHope you're healing okay and I can't wait to see the unveiling either!!
hugs,
Lisa x
Oh well it is the circle of life.. and one day you will come across this page and smile with the happy thoughts of this lovely man and the way he touched so many lives.. a life well lived... beautiful layout!!
ReplyDeleteOh I love this so much. Your page of journaling is just fantastic and the subtle pieces of the sketch are fab. Love it.
ReplyDeleteIt's a lovely page...not something I've ever done, but you are right -it's all a part of our lives!
ReplyDeleteAlison xx
LOVE this page! Sorry for your loss :( Yes good record keeping needs to include such events.
DeleteIts a page for remembrance and I know it's healing you. I hope Marilyn finds some solace in her crafting too. So sorry for your loss.
ReplyDeleteLovely page Mitra and your right it should be something you scrap as its a part of your life, I have only ever been to one funeral and that is a good mate I went to school with and we were only 16 I still haven't scrapped it but know I should. Thank you for sharing this story and I hope you are feeling a little better from doing so.
ReplyDelete