In grade 10 my best friend Loretta and I made a pact that when we grew up we were going to open a “craft” shop. We spent the next 25+ years planning, designing, redesigning, replanning …dreaming! What would we call our shop? What would it look like? Where would it be? Who would be responsible for what?
The Story of Scrapbook Central
Over time we would literally fill thousands of hours planning our “craft” shop. White Spot Restaurant was oftentimes our meeting place for such planning. We would always ‘share’ the main food item (which was either a famous Triple ‘O’ burger and we fought over the pickle – mmm, or a strawberry shortcake with two spoons – yum!) and each of us would have dozens of cups of coffee. We would sometimes sit there for SO long that it wasn’t unusual to witness a waitress shift change over! We rotated White Spot locations and once talked of making a road trip to visit EVERY White Spot Restaurant.
Well, as the saying goes…life got in the way of our plans! Loretta would marry and start a family. I would marry and “try” to start a family only to learn God had a different plan for me. Not being able to have kids I would open a Daycare Centre instead! And merrily we went off and lived our lives. Until ONE day. Loretta called and told me the tragic news. She had terminal cancer!!! During the next six weeks until her untimely death we revisited the road of our friendship. Taking up most of the discussions was – you got it – our “craft” shop! Loretta would regret that we never made that dream a reality. I too felt enormous regret.
Over the next few years I would continue on with my daycare and life as I knew it – until one October afternoon. Everything in my life felt wrong. I would come to understand that with THREE of my daycare kids heading off to grade one and leaving home I could no longer continue on in the field. My heart was torn and broken! From October till December I tormented myself (and my poor husband – sorry honey!) with what I should do. Stay in daycare and have my heart torn out every September as another group of MY kids left home for grade one? Or…? Or what?
Well, I will spare you ALL the steps in between (…and there were many), and bring you to here, today, now! During Loretta’s last six weeks of life she taught me a LOT, from the “value” of life, to purpose and regret. And so the rest, as they say, is history! Scrapbook Central was born.
I am sure I am not alone when I say I cannot reach life’s end without any regret, but I won’t regret not ever getting around to opening that “craft” store! Already I regret that I am going it alone without my best buddy by my side – but you know, some days I can literally hear her telling me which way to turn! And that is the story of us, I welcome you to our “craft” shop!
