Every now and then I create a layout that really, really matters. Preserving my memories is the number one reason I scrapbooking. It’s one of the many ways I tell my story. But let’s be real here … I scrapbook a lot. And sometimes the pages I create are fluff. Maybe I’m making them for a creative team assignment and I just need to get it done. Or maybe I’m creating it just for the sake of creating and playing. Neither is bad. It just means that in the end, the pages aren’t as meaningful as I’d like them to be.

But then … I make a page that matters. A page that really moves me. A page that tells a story that needs to be told. A page that preserves a story that I never, ever want to forget. And I’m reminded why I do this.

This page is one of those pages:

Credits here

Journaling reads:

Last month, when I was waiting for my pathology results, one of thoughts that went through my head over and over again was “If I have cancer, I’m going to lose my hair ... and I really don’t want to lose my hair.”  Shallow? Maybe. But real? Totally! I love my long, red hair. That wasn’t always the case. When I was little, I hated it. Any kid with red hair knows why ... you get teased as a kid when you have red hair and freckles. Now, as an adult, it’s one of my favorite features. The two weeks leading up to my surgery and the week after were the longest, hardest weeks of my life to date. I know losing my hair wouldn’t have been the worst thing in the world. But it symbolized so much more to me. Today I’m grateful to be keeping my hair and being cancer free. 

I made this page as part of LOAD (Layout a Day). The prompt was to take a self portrait and then scrap about yourself. I take a lot of self portraits and I’m totally comfortable scrapping about myself. It’s not really a stretch for me. But as soon as I read the prompt, I knew what story I needed to tell. I’ve been thinking about this, about my hair and about being cancer free for weeks now. I’m still feeling a little awestruck that everything went so well. I feel like I dodged a major bullet and have a chance to make changes in my life to keep me healthy and living for a very long time. I want to hold onto this feeling forever and my hair constantly reminds me of this goal ... this hope.

Why do you scrapbook? If you don’t, how do you tell and share your story?