I liked having a prologue to the start of my journey and so I've continued that theme with the start of the next scrapbook album. The "freedom" thought came to me a few weeks ago, so over the last few months, because of the chance hearing of a radio programme I had. I was returning from Malvern Quilt Show and caught by chance, a radio interview by Jeremy Vine of a lady called Julie Chimes who survived a near-fatal stabbing and forgave the lady who stabbed her over 30 times. The story of the attack was harrowing but the way that she followed trauma by forgiveness, hit a note in me, and as it was something I needed to help my journey to let go of my past, is there really any "by chance" about it ;)
I'm a firm believer that I'm always in the right place at the right time, and that I deserve to be there - in order to learn a lesson, have a particular experience, met a particular person and/or to learn something about my self or my experiences. In Japanese I understand that they have the same word for problem as for opportunity - an opportunity to learn that maybe something is not for you. For a while I had no voice and I am still learning who am I after a considerable amount of time of being told who or what I was, but Julie's story shone a light on part of my own journey and has suggested a path, of forgiveness, for me to take as I was wondering my way towards it in the dark :)
So the first page of the prologue is effectively a statement to explore and come to believe that it's OK to let go, and to remind me that the journey is an adventure, to be seized as best as possible. The compass is to remind me that whilst I might not know where the journey will take me, I am never really lost.
Credits:
Background paper - from a 8" x 8" sheet, Making Memories, Ledger Paper Pad for the Slice Design Cutter
"Explore" prompt card - Tangie Baxter @ Scrapbookgraphics, Vintage Flashcards: Journey Set
Signpost and compass embellishments - Making Memories
Adventure sticker - Making Memories, Passport Scrapbooking Pack
"Believe" rub-on - Making Memories
"Life is not a Dress Rehearsal" strip - supplier unknown, from my stash
As those following the Art Journal Caravan know, I've been on catch-up, as Easter holidays meant that I could not keep up with the art creating, as I could not have all my art supplies all over the floor. I'm working on week 14, whilst the Caravan project is nearly at week 26 (halfway), but I'm following along. So echoing again being in the right place at the right time, the quote that appears on the back of my first page appeared this week on my Facebook news feed from one of the groups that I follow and it just followed the theme that "I am Allowed to Be" following on from Letting Go, Freedom and the feeling I got from graduating this week - see
http://ajewelshiningthrough.blogspot.com/2010/06/plaudits-and-pizza.html No such thing as chance ;)
Credits:
Background paper - Collaboration between Berna Datema and Welli Design @ Scrapbookgraphics, Bohemian Journey papers
The fonts are from Photoshop with the quote from the Facebook group Positive Focus
Week 18 invited us to take a moment to listen to our response to the question "What do I need to journal about this week?" This did not inspire me, but the quote of the week did. I looked up "Excellence", given as the quality of excelling - not very useful. So I looked up the verb "Excel":
