I thoroughly enjoy scrapbooking. I did my first scrapbook for some very dear friends in honor of their 50th wedding anniversary. Upon completion of that book, I was hooked on this new “hobby.”
The following year I captured our oldest son’s birth through high school graduation in my second scrapbook. That scrapbook was followed two years later by one for TJ’s high school graduation. I am thankful to say that both boys are grateful for these books - though I still have them for “safe keeping”.
I believe it was during TJ’s BMT graduation weekend that he asked me if I would make him another scrapbook of his years in the Air Force. It wasn’t that I hadn’t already thought of doing one, but it meant everything to me that he really wanted one. So, if I hadn’t been taking enough pictures during that weekend, his request kept me always looking for “another scrapbook page” opportunity!
During TJ’s first year in the Air Force, I kept busy compiling all sorts of things for this new scrapbook. The schedule from his BMT graduation weekend, the ticket stubs from our flights to and from San Antonio, a pass for coming onto the base during our visit to Malmstrom were among items carefully saved for future pages to capture these events. TJ has assisted in this effort by giving me the letters he received from people during his weeks in BMT, and a pile of letters from a third grade class that made him their pen-pal his first year in the Air Force.
But because I like to use a lot of pictures in my scrapbooks, during his second and third years it became very difficult for me to envision pages that could be done. I would often ask him if he couldn’t PLEASE take more pictures, or have more taken of himself so that I would have something for his scrapbook. Often such requests were received with a hearty sigh, and I could always “see” his eyes roll as he grumbled some excuse about why he didn’t take more pictures.
So, as his Thanksgiving Day began [in Kuwait] I emailed him the following request,
TJ, I have one request ... You will roll your eyes and think this very dumb. But I DON'T care!
PLEASE ... today is Thanksgiving and a very unique one for you. Please take some pictures of Thanksgiving in Kuwait - military style. I promise you - many years from now, you will thank me, probably on some Thanksgiving Day. :)
I love you, Pal! :)
Mom
A few days later about four new pictures appeared on his Facebook page, all of them from Thanksgiving Day! The following day another new picture appeared. In all of these pictures, TJ handed his camera to someone else to take the shot. These pictures not only captured some of the places and things there in Kuwait, but they captured TJ’s smile and the joy that he is experiencing from this deployment.
Though this is not the best example of a typical scrapbook page, the picture to the right is a “page” created in PowerPoint that will be a part of his USAF scrapbook. It is simply titled, “Thanksgiving – Kuwait, 2010” It is also a reminder to me to express my gratitude to God that TJ was safe and able to enjoy his Thanksgiving Day with good friends and great food, too!
No comments:
Post a Comment