I’ve been sitting here thinking about my crafting and how many years I’ve been doing it. MANY years ago when I was just a toddler I remember painting plaster of Paris molds. I was also sewing by hand and cutting lots of paper and fabric. Growing up I was always fascinated with many crafts and painting was one of my favorite things. And getting older makes me realize that there are many crafts that I never got around to trying.
A few years ago I got into making junk journals after watching a youtube video. That seems like a long time ago and my skills at making junk journals has improved since then. My creativity has clicked into gear with me trying to push the limit of what I can come up with next with making a junk journal. Below is a photo I took of a junk journal that I made out of a cardboard box I got from Amazon. I had been making some accordion style journals when I thought about gluing the front and back pages together to make a book instead. I also decided to use a theme for this book so I printed out some Alligator papers that I had made and the rest is history as they say, lol.
Now I told you about this book because it has a little history behind it. Years ago when my husband had his heart attack and then went into the hospital for open heart surgery I left the hospital that day and went home. Before I went home though I stopped at Walmart to buy a few grocery items so I could make me something easy for dinner because I had spent the whole day worrying about my husband in surgery.
Anyway, I hadn’t cried at all since the heart attack or the surgery and I kept feeling like I would at any minute and I kept thinking as I was standing in the checkout line; “Please don’t ask me how I’m doing or how my day is going because I’m going to lose it”. And then sure enough, she said it and I broke down right there at Walmart. The tears started streaming down my face and I was having a melt down standing right there and I just let it all out. Telling her about the heart attack and how he was in the hospital. Well, she walked around the register and gave me a hug and told me everything would be alright. She then escorted me to the bathroom and told me to try and calm down and dry my tears.
When I came out of the bathroom I was so embarrassed about my actions that I could hardly look anyone in the eye. But she had told everyone in line about what had happened and why I was crying. So everyone was telling me how sorry they were that it had happened. So when hubs was finally able to leave the hospital I told him what had happened at Walmart. So, of course he wanted to stop by Walmart to see the lady who was so nice to me. She introduced herself to both of us and said she was happy to help. Now every time I go to Walmart I always talk to her whenever I can.
A few weeks ago I went into Walmart and was looking for her but she wasn’t there so I figured it was her day off or something. A few days had passed and I still didn’t see her so I asked around and was told that she had Leukemia and was under going treatment for it. Well my heart just sank. How could this happen to such a wonderful lady? So a week had passed the next time I went into Walmart she was there and we talked a little and she asked me how I was doing and I told her I was making junk journals. She was intrigued about that and I told her about the Alligator journal I had just made. Well her eyes lit up when I described it to her and she said it must be wonderful to be creative like that.
So, when I got home I took that journal and stuck it in my bag. The next morning I went into Walmart and she was there so I took it from my bag and handed it to her. I told her how much she had helped me when I really needed it and how I hoped that journal would help lift her spirits. As we were standing there another employee came up and she started letting her know about the gift I had gave her. It’s been awhile since all this happened, but now each time I go into Walmart and see her she goes on and on about that Alligator book and how much she loves it. And that just brightens my day.
Yes, I’ve been crafting for a very long time and sometimes life can get scary but I am so thankful for being able to bring a smile to someone else’s life with something that I love doing. If you’re still here, thank you for stopping by and I hope you have a lovely day.
