Hope Legacy Paper Bag Journal

Sharing a Keep the Faith project

from 14 years ago.

 My mom was diagnosed with uterine cancer

 and began chemotherapy treatments.

 I started sending my parents 

notes of hope and encouragement.

After her death in August 2004, 

 I was helping my dad sort life,

and I found the notes

and cards taped all over the house.

They were in the bathroom,

inside cupboard doors, and

on the wall of the bedroom.

 I didn't know what to do with them.

But, I knew one thing.

 I didn't know how to grieve

 the loss of a parent.

Somewhere along the way,

 I had seen a paper bag journal project.

This was long before Pinterest, 

and I don't really know how 

we came across new ideas.

 I used 6 basic lunch bags 
(not the extra large size)

 placed end to opposite end 

and a small pink paper bag for the center.

 The layers were hole punched

 in the center through all layers

 and tied with ribbon.

 The pockets serve as places

 to add the notes and memorabilia.

Recycled greeting cards-

(from sympathy cards) 

served as the extra embellishments.

I added a page of mom's handwriting.

Double sided tape secures the items on the pages.

Flaps are formed with a hole punch and a brad.

When sorting through boxes of old newspaper, 

I found the newspaper article 

about my great-grandmother's death in 1922.

When I saw what had been written 

about her in the church's newsletter-

Emanuel's Lutheran Church in Tipton, Indiana, 

 a new life's purpose was being shaped.

Great Grandma Anna was 

"a faithful wife to her husband, 

a devoted mother to her children, 

she was mindful not only of their bodily

 but also and especially of their  spiritual welfare."

That's legacy.

The forming of spiritual centering

 from one generation to the next.

Passing the baton.

So the pieces came together within

 the layers of a paper bag journal.

A grieving heart grasped the words of hope

 in Bible passages secured along the way.

I began to SEE the purpose unfold

 of my journey ahead,

for the sake of my children and their children.

 Meaning-making is not meant to be difficult,

but it does become clearer with the hands-on

 tangible, visual gatherings along the way.

Perhaps then, the story to bless 

the next generation is a bit easier to find.

Anna Bauer-

my grandmother with her siblings.

Katherine Elizabeth and Constance

 Maybe a simple "Keep the Faith" tool 

brings hope and encouragement to another 

mom or dad-

for the sake of the next generation.