Sometimes it seems like improving yourself is hard. Daunting. Impossible……
But, maybe not—if we take it bit by bit. A little kinder…
…a little sooner. Standing for something a little taller…
…counting those blessings one by one…
I think I may find—little by little--that it’s not as hard as I thought it was…
Enjoy the journey……..
Julie
A bit of journaling done this past week. Using some of my favorite ladies from vintage fashion magazines of the past…
…and giving them new thoughts, new ideas, new life.
Vintage papers, pens & poems combine to fill each page as I go along--also picking up a few new techniques from the lovely Hope Karney in an online class I’m enjoying so very much…
…even diving into some very private musings. Fears—real or imagined—are explored in these pages. A good thing to examine, a good thing to try to overcome…
I love these reproductions of antique mix & match lady cards, favorites of Hope and used in her classes~~they add such a wonderful character to things, don’t you think?
When you use a bit of pretty washi tape on the pieces, you get some wonderful flaps to journal under…a bit more texture, a bit more fun!
Give some time to journaling your deeper thoughts yourself--you might just find it as liberating as I do…
See you soon with something new~
Julie
She stood on the pier gazing out to the sea. Soon she would turn her back on her beloved Denmark and would most likely never see it again…
Standing beside her was her new husband—twice her age. A handsome man, a good man, a man of God. She felt safe. She felt secure that the life she had chosen was the right one.
{my great-great grandfather, Jesse Nathaniel Smith}
She was unafraid of her future, whatever it would bring.
She was 16 years old.
Augusta lived a beautiful, full life. That life would take her across the sea to America—and then across America to the wild, wild West. She would settle in a small town her husband helped to establish…and would be very, very happy.
{my 3rd great-grandmother, Mary Aikens Smith}
Mary was born in an earlier century—in 1797, to be exact. Her life turned out differently than she imagined it would, as well.
Youth passed her by without providing a husband for her. She buried herself in her chosen profession—teaching. She was a gifted teacher, she loved it. She loved the children. And so, she was content.
A new job offered. A new town in New York state to teach in. A kind widower made her acquaintance. A gentle man with six children and no wife to care for them…
Two years later, they were married. Within a few years, three sons were born to Mary and Silas, and she couldn’t contain her joy…
A new religion found, faith grew, and the family left New York for the west. Along the way, however, her beloved Silas became ill. And died. Buried along the route as she continued along to the town they had determined beforehand to go…...
From then on, she mothered her boys alone. She never remarried. Their lives became her life. Her son Jesse took her into his household till the end of her days…where, in her aged days, she was cared for by her loving, Danish daughter-in-law, Augusta.
Two women—born worlds apart. Lives forever entwined.
My Character Album is coming along quite nicely. Looking forward to having it filled with the wonderful women of my heritage.
Julie
