Granny's Collage
This weekend I have been thinking a lot about my family. When we lost my Granny, 12 years after my Grandpa died, we all wanted her funeral to be a celebration of her life, albeit with unstoppable tears but with laughter and sentimental anecdotes as well. You know the old saying one makes room for another. I was actually just pregnant when she died although I didn't know it. My cousin Simon read a letter she had written him whilst at University featuring her shopping list and the bargains she had found in a DIY store. We set up a projector screen and a beautiful collection of photographs streamed silently whilst we all watched them. Except there wasn't silence there was laughter and giggles from everyone as we looked through the photographs of her life.
Granny's Collage
I have a number of her old memory boxes bursting with cards and letters, scrapbooks and albums. I made up two huge collages and left them for the guests to ponder.
Granny's Collage
Granny's Collage
My favourite bits was their original engagement announcement from 1949, their wedding invitation (I'm saving that for later in the week as it is so delicate it deserves a post of it's own) and a letter from her mother congratulating her on the birth of my Auntie "Thank God it is all over & the baby isn't called John... What a clever girl you were to get it over so quick & not keep us all in suspense. We are so thrilled... I bet Geoffrey is as pleased as a dog with two tails & Mamma doesn't know whether she is on her head or her heels with pride & joy."
Granny's Letter
Granny's Letter
I hope you can make it all out!
Granny's Collage
Granny's Collage
I feel so lucky to have this treasure chest of memories and I hope my own grandchildren one day will adore pouring over our old love letters from university days and thousands of photographs! I wonder what that future generation will think of snail mail! With email, Facebook, Twitter and blogs as the modern way to record and document your life, I treasure my things like the shoe box of old champagne corks we have written the date and occasion on.
This week a very brave family said goodbye to a beloved mother and wife. It inspired me to write this post. You can read a touching account of the celebration of her life here. Please take a moment to read it.
Do you keep memory boxes, are you a sentimental hoarder like me?!
