LOAD213 - Day 11 - Vitamin Dee!

The prompt for Lain Ehmann's Layout a Day (LOAD213 - Scrap Happier) challenge for Day 11 was to scrap a secret of Adulthood. This one here, to get a healthy dose of Vitamin Dee, is a secret I just learned.  The artwork in the lower left corner is a photocopy of one of my aunt's pieces of art, and in the scallop circle is a photocopy of how she would sign her name on cards or in guest books. So glad I have these treasures.

Journaling Reads:

My Aunt Dee passed away on my 40th birthday after suffering from Alzheimer’s the last several years. We held her memorial service at my mom’s church in January. The reception was filled with her art and with stories of her adventurous, creative life. I remember her as being a fiercely independent woman. Divorced in the seventies, and for as long as my memory will allow, she was single and raised two children on her own…long before “single parents” were common place. She was quick to laugh. And when she did, it was with her whole body…her head would tilt back, she’d clasp her hands together, her mouth would drop open, her eyes would grow wide and twinkle, and it was a loud, distinct sound…a trait that many Belcher women possess. She was an active, free-spirited woman who loved to paint, and ski, and take long walks, no matter if it was raining….why, that would make it all the more exciting, wouldn’t it? She looked at the world and asked, why not? Why not take a walk in the rain? Why not have a picnic in the cemetery and make up stories about the people who were resting there? Why not let your teenage son plaster his walls, floor to ceiling, wall to wall with posters of his favorite band, KISS? Why not camp out underneath the stars and figure out what pictures the stars would make if you connected their dots….not to be confused with identifying the constellations. It’s altogether different. And, why not? After the memorial service, Jordyn and I were reflecting on how fun and spontaneous Aunt Dee had been. We both agreed that we could each use a little bit more Aunt Dee in our lives, especially me. I now remind myself and my children to get a daily, healthy dose of VITAMIN DEE!