Sierra Madre - 1919

I've been doing a lot of Heritage pages lately and this one has really gotten tons of attention in the galleries. The gallery at Digitals probably got the most attention because the page was picked as the Layout for the Day click on the photo if you'd like to see the gallery there. It's made me feel really good to see what people have written. It was a harder layout to do because I had so many photos I wanted to showcase, they were old, faded, blurred just not the best quality, but very important to the story I wanted to pass on to future generations. I think sometimes the photos that express the most are overlooked because they aren't top quality. I think that's a big mistake, even a worn and torn photo can tell so much.

Here's my journaling for this one, lots of conversations over the phone to my Mom to make sure I was getting the story correct.

Some of these pictures were dated October most December of 1919. My Dad had gotten very sick and the doctors thought that if Grandma could take him to the clean fresh air of the mountains near Sierra Madre that he would improve. I think the most poignant picture is the one on the bottom left where if you look closely you'll see Daddy in a wheel chair. He was so sick at first that Grandma had to push him up the hills when they went out because he wasn’t strong enough to walk.

The doctors told Grandma to have Daddy sleep outside in the night air to help his lungs and his body heal. These pictures are old, they've blurred and faded with the years but the story of three children hiking the woods, exploring the hilltops and just being themselves are told between the snapshots. This would have made Dad 8, Aunty Flo 6 and Uncle Bill 5.

I can't imagine what struggles this must have been at this time. How did my Grandmother do this, how did she manage with three small children. There are so many questions I long to ask, so many stories gone forever untold but I am fortunate for I have so much more to pass on to you my following generations than many. Daddy grew and lived to be into his 80th year so I bless you Grandma that you found a way to help him heal and grow into the man I knew and loved.

The kit is Maddy Fernandez - Turkish Delight and Turkish Delight Word Add Ons. Maddy sells exclusively at Digitals. I've been working on her Creative Team for less than a month now but I love her designs. I have lots more ideas for more Heritage pages with this kit.