Our lives seem to fly by faster and faster as we get older. As children arrive and grow our days are consumed with ensuring they are safe, fed, clothed, clean and entertained.
One of my favourite things to do is scrapbook…not that you could guess though given the small amount of time that I actually sit down and scrap…or the number of unfinished albums that are in my cupboard….
The reason I don’t sit and scrap is that we spend our life…living it! Getting out there and seeing, smelling, tasting, hearing and touching the world…
It has always been my goal to raise my girls to have an appreciation for the life they live; to teach them about other cultures and religions; to let them explore and discover nature and to understand that whilst the unknown may seem scary, that is no reason not to go and try.
Whether it is learning to swim, play netball or hockey, try gymnastics or karate; learn to speak another language; learn to drive; learn to play piano, trombone, violin, recorder or flute; make friends with someone that you’ll never see again; taste something you think you won’t like but have never tried; sign up to volunteer just because it will help someone you don’t know yet; travel by plane, train, boat, bike, bus or foot; get lost and find a new way home….I want them to be confident, independant young women!
This year, Amanda has started Year 8 studying her subjects as part of the French Immersion programme. It is a challenging but rewarding opportunity to learn the standard curriculum and the french language at the same time.
For one of her subjects, she was given a project to create a timeline of key events in her life so far…it was an interesting exercise to sit down and look back at all that she has been part of and accomplished. The feedback from her draft copy was that she had listed too many special moments, so some had to be removed from the list…however those that were left still show some amazing opportunities she been involved in so far…
Helping Amanda find photos to add a visual touch to her project made me acutely aware of why I need to take photos and journal my thoughts, whether in a scrapbook or here on the blog…we do so much there is little chance of remembering it all otherwise.
With a family history of dementia I worry that I won’t remember these moments in years to come…so whether anyone reads them today or not doesn’t matter…they’ll be here for me later!
Here is a photo of Amanda’s finished timeline…I think it looks great, even if I cannot read all the words, I can make out what it says enough to recall the moment. For those who may read this that can speak french…it is all in present tense as she hasn’t learned past tense yet…
These are a few of the photos we found that didn’t make the list…but I think are worth remembering too…(sorry I don’t know how to rotate them in this app on my phone)
