Mosaic Moments – the why behind the name.

When I came up with the name “Mosaic Moments,” I thought it was simply a catchy description for a scrapbooking system. Originally, the system was designed to create photo mosaics. Over time it became so much more, as did my thoughts about the name “Mosaic Moments.”

One definition of mosaic is, “a picture made with small colored pieces.” Another definition is, “something consisting of a variety of  elements or a number of different types of things.” My thoughts over the years have turned more to the “variety of elements” that create our life story.

Story telling has been an important tradition to many cultures throughout history. As a child, I was taught the importance of memories through the example of my mother. She created many things to preserve our family story. Once, she made a blanket using cut up pieces of clothing. She embroidered the name of each family member, onto the cloth patches, along with a picture that represented something about them.

Another example, from my mother, was a “labor of love” that took many years. When she finished, she had created a book filled with short stories – memories from childhood. When her siblings heard about the book they began to contribute, some offering money to help print copies, others wrote stories from their own memories to be included. My mother and all of her sisters have since passed away. This book is a priceless treasure for their children and grandchildren.

When I think about Mosaic Moments now, I think of bringing together all the bits and pieces that “color” our lives. Everything we have, do, see, feel, touch, read, hear, smell, think, and say is part of our mosaic.

It is amazing to look back and see how we have changed and grown over the years; however, it can be more difficult to recognize changes if we have no record of the past.

As scrapbookers we are personal and family historians. Our choices determine which bits and pieces of our memories will be preserved. What will our children and grandchildren know about us? What will they remember about themselves? (Most children do not recollect early childhood.) What will they say we valued most?