The blogging world is a very busy one, and I used to quickly chat to Kerry occasionally on Twitter, but it wasn't until the passing away of her daughter Rihanna that we really connected. Kerry is a very talented scrapbooker and I am pleased she has shared about the importance of memory keeping.
Picture the scene, the sun is shining, the bags are
packed and the picnic is ready. You pile your children into the car, all
laughing and smiling and at your happiest, your partner gets in beside you
starts the car and your journey to the beach begins.
It doesn’t take you long, until you are finally there,
finding a spot on the beach. Unpacking your stuff, putting sun cream on the
children and getting ready for the day ahead. The children are laughing,
running around, playing and having great fun. They are in the sea, out of the
sea, eating, jumping around and getting your all involved in everything they
are doing.
It is a great day, one that has resulted in lots of fun,
and lots of memories, things that you will never forget. You don’t need to take
photos of the day; they are all in your head. Making you smile just remembering
them. You don’t need to scrapbook them, why would you? Everything you created
today will last a lifetime.
But what if…
Your child was born and spent the first few months in
hospital and everything that was happening to you was a complete and utter
blur? What if even worse than that, like us you don’t even get those months in
hospital?
We had a few precious hours with our little girl, she was
born sleeping. So in just hours we had to create enough memories for myself and
her father to last a lifetime. But as well as our own memories, we had to
create enough moments, for her big brother (who at three was too young to see
her), her grandparents, aunties, uncles, cousins and for any future siblings
she will have to share with us as well.
We didn’t have long, and we had to remember everything
important about her. We took photos, we took lots. But that wasn’t her full
story.
Her story started six months previous to this. It started
when we first found out we were pregnant, her story was not just about the few
hours that we spent with her and we needed to record all of her memories.
We decided to create a scrapbook for her. Scrapbooking
isn’t just about sticking photos into an album; it is about creating your
story. Our little girl had a story, she had her little life and her scrapbook
tells all of it.
We have included notes of our feelings when we found out
we were pregnant, the dates that we went for checks. What was said by the
midwife and how we felt throughout the pregnancy.
It will tell the upsetting story of us finding out, and
her birth, yes they are not happy events, but they are still her events. Yes at
the moment they are still not included, they are too hard to write. But they will
be in there as that is her story and they will be followed by all of her
pictures. There are 40 in all. Not a huge amount, and probably should have been
more. But everything was a complete blur, now three months on, we can work out
what happened and at what time, it is all important, it all defines her and it
is all going in her scrapbook.
But it isn’t even just about the facts and figures. We
had over 100 messages of support when we told people our news. Everyone has
been copied, and printed out and they will all be put in her scrapbook. Her
life may have been short but it affected lots of people and she touched so many
hearts and we both want her brother and family to know how many lives she
touched. All of these things are important to making her alive and remembering
everything about her.
The support will be in the album, pride of place showing
how much she was loved.
Her memories don’t stop there. We have pictures of things
we do to remember her, events that we will do in the future to raise some money
and pictures of the things we have brought her.
Scrapbooks are places to record the important things in
your lives, and to keep all your memorabilia and photos in one place.
Imagine once again, your eldest child is in their
twenties and they ask you about their sister, the angel in their lives. They
want to know how it felt, the dress that she wore and who held her first. What
if you couldn’t quite remember the answer, what if it had slipped your mind.
You will never get that back.
However if it was all in a scrapbook it would never be
forgotten the truth would never be lost, and your little girl will always be
looked at and loved dearly through her scrapbook.
Maybe next time do take that camera, put them in the
scrapbook at the end of the day and sit there and write about how special your
children made you feel today, how much they made you laugh, and how it was a
fantastic day all getting on and having fun. Write the truth let them know
exactly how you felt as in years to come, this book, those moments, those
feelings will mean everything to your child and their children. So make sure
your memories can be passed on and on forever and ever!
Well I am Kerry, in 2005 I met Mr L and we quickly moved
into together and in 2008 we had Baba. I started blogging in 2009 when I first
started my writing course. I wanted somewhere to write about all the things
that Baba did, and how we coped as a family with Mr L working every hour under
the sun, and I working from home, looking after a little one. In 2011 I set up
my own Scrapbooking business, Scrapbookerry which has gone from strength to
strength in the first year and is having lots of new products and services
added regularly.
In November 2011 we found out we were expecting our
second child and in March 2012 we found out that it was a little girl at the 20
week scan and our family was complete, or so we thought. Unfortunately Rhianna
Lily passed away and was born sleeping on the 23rd March 2012. Our
lives have changed dramatically, and my blogging has changed dramatically, but
the love we all have for each other and my passion for my business and my
passion to get everyone in the world scrapbooking has only grown and increased.
It is so important that everyone records everything in
their lives, some memories only last moments, but they affect us for ever and
should never be forgotten but should be passed on and on.
You can find me blogging about our family life at www.andthenallithoughtaboutwasyou.com
You can find me blogging about Rhianna Lily at
I also run a crafting blog at
To get all the information about Scrapbookerry and all
the services we offer please check out
What a lovely, heartbreaking post, Kerry. I already know Rihanna Lily's story and have shed little tears for an angel I never knew and a fellow blogger and her family, none of whom I have never met. But I didn't know about the scrapbooking. Such a lovely thing and makes total sense. Coincidentally I found a scrapbook I bought last year today (I have never done one before and I thought to myself how I really ought to complete one as I have the worst memory. I know I will forget so much. I already have. I definitely will now. And I hope that your son enjoys learning about his little sister when he's old enough x
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