” Each day means a new twenty-four hours. Each day means everything’s possible again. You live in the moment, you die in the moment, you take it all one day at a time.”
Marie Lu (Legend #1)
Word Ghosts and moments
30 Jun 2017 Comments Off on Word Ghosts and moments
in Word Ghosts Tags: one day at a time
The final chapter
28 Jun 2017 Comments Off on The final chapter
in Time Capsule Tags: Dedication Ceremony, Time Capsule
Dear Fellow Journalers,
… so begins MaryBeth’s final chapter on the Maroney Time Capsule Journal:
The Dedication Ceremony
As you have probably guessed by now, we don’t do anything small – we are always looking for ways to incorporate our family values, capture the wonder of childhood and show our love for each other. When it came time to hide our time capsule, we didn’t want to just find a spot and hide it. We decided to have a small, memorable dedication ceremony. Over dinner one night (close to completion of the Time Capsule) we asked some questions of our kids and ourselves:
- What made you choose to include_____
- What memories do you hope to share with your future self by including ____
- What part of making the Time Capsule did you enjoy the most?
When we finished our dessert (Maureen had progressed to cake baking by now and had earned her badge), we presented our children with their sealed letters and then we discussed where to hide our Time Capsule.
The Hiding Place
Tim wanted to hide the time capsule outside but we dissuaded him. It rains a lot where we live and even though the “Box” was a heavy plastic bin, the contents could mold or decay in ten years’ time. We decided on the attic and carefully placed it near a rafter. My husband had made a label reading ” The Maroney Time Capsule – not to be opened until 2026.”
Tim was a little upset with our decision as his Time Capsule had been a decorated Popcorn can my husband had received from a client at work. We had almost finished off the last of the candy corn type so I had put the last bits in a Ziploc bag and cleaned out the inside of the can. He had decorated his with stickers and put it in his closet. But he cheerfully helped the rest of the family when it came to our decoration of The Maroney Time Capsule. We decoupaged ours with a collage of family items, copies of family pictures, drawings, awards, first driving license and pay check. We’d show it to you but we would have to climb over a lot of stuff to access it. Oh, and one final thought: put a note to yourself in your safe deposit box about the Time Capsule. Write down its exact location and when it is to be opened.
Ok, I know the final question you’re dying to ask is “Where did she put the journal?” …. and the answer is Inside the Time Capsule of course! Hope you enjoyed our Time Capsule Journal stories – now go make one of your own! M.B.
Thanks MaryBeth for your great perspective on the Time Capsule Journal!
~Sallie
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Word Ghosts and dreams
23 Jun 2017 Comments Off on Word Ghosts and dreams
in Word Ghosts Tags: dream
“People are capable, at anytime in their lives, of doing what they dream of.”
Paulo Coelho (The Alchemist)
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Tools and Included items in the Time Capsule
21 Jun 2017 Comments Off on Tools and Included items in the Time Capsule
in Time Capsule Tags: memories, tools
Dear Fellow Journalers,
Marybeth continues the writing journey:
“When I first started writing The Time Capsule Journal”, I kept an ongoing list of important things to remember in the front cover. I wanted the journal to be more than a step-by-step diary of our lives. “So boring,” Tim said of my early attempts. So I started thinking and I decided to change things up a bit.
I knew that to be successful, this journal had to be written by all of us. I know what you are thinking – unusual undertaking. But the time capsule was about all of us, so why not have all of us write about it. Our first step was to make lists of all that had happened during the week. We used my template from Tim’s journal as an example. One week’s events were: Maureen’s attempt at baking biscuits (Girl Scout Badge), T.J’s letters from college, making a new friend. Sometimes we just wrote the event and a word or phrase to describe it. I sometimes couldn’t resist writing a short poem or a snippet of a song that the event’s memory triggered. John drew a picture or two and my husband captured as many events as he could on his trusty camera.
One thing we did without telling the kids was to write a letter to each of them. We wrote about what they were like right now, how much we loved them and our wish for them to be happy in their future. We then folded the letters, slipped them into envelopes with their names on them and sealed the flaps. ( I sincerely hope that if you ever decide to make a family time capsule, you will do this! We know it will be a rewarding experience for you, as it will be for us in 10 years’ time!)
Then we decided to expand our journal and our Time Capsule by including some of the following:
title of favorite songs, Game Nights, Top 10 Memories, Each child’s age, height and weight, dreams of the future, current nickname, best friends, piece of wisdom to their future self, what a perfect day looked like.
In addition to the writing material, we included pictures of the house and their rooms, price list of things they liked to eat (fast food also), the front page of the local newspaper.
By now, the small box we had chosen was over-flowing so we searched around the house for a new one. We debated about getting 5 boxes for each of the children, but in the end decided on one. But the Maroney Time Capsule still had to be found and decorated. More on that project next week.” M.B.
This is getting exciting!
‘Til next week,
~Sallie
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My Dad
18 Jun 2017 Comments Off on My Dad
in Perspectives Tags: cufflinks, Father's Day, respect
Dear Fellow Journalers,
In honor of Father’s Day, G weighs in:
DADS’ CUFFLINKS
Poking around in my closet the other day, I came upon my Dad’s cufflinks. I’m almost ashamed to say I haven’t seen or worn them in about five years. Since they were Dad’s, I should treat them with more respect.
Now you have to understand something about my Dad. Dad was a helicopter mechanic, and a great one at that. But Dad HATED getting “dressed up” for any occasion. A tie to Dad was like a noose, a coat like a straight jacket. Dad had only ONE dress white shirt. Mom bought it for him. This shirt had “French cuffs,” requiring cuff links. Mom also bought them. She bought them at a jewelry store, and paid good money for them. They are silver, square, and have a star like design on them called a “compass rose.” Dad hated the whole idea, but wore them when and if he must.
I think I’ve told you Dad was only 5’9”, and of small build. This meant that I was Dad’s size when I was about 11 years old. Now I, unlike Dad, had been wearing white dress shirts and ties since second grade. (Catholic school uniforms) Now I thought that this French cuff shirt was “COOL” so cool, that to this day, I wear French cuffs 98% of the time, One day, while headed for some special occasion, I asked Dad if I could wear his shirt and links to the affair. He agreed, but Mom wasn’t happy about it.
Well, the shirt and the links made it home in one piece. I then had earned the right to borrow them on a regular basis. Dad was actually relieved that I wore them instead of him, and often suggested it. He even told me to keep it in MY closet. Mom still wasn’t happy.
The problem with being a growing boy is that you grow VERY fast! Within a few months, I had outgrown the shirt. Returning it to Dad, he promptly declared it “worn out”, and threw it out. (While Mom was out of course!) End of the story.
When Dad died in 1986, possession of the cuff links officially passed to me, although I always had them. I wore them weekly until about five or so years ago, when others supplanted them.
So why this story? I am CERTAIN that you have some piece of jewelry SOMEWHERE that once belonged to someone you loved. GO FIND IT NOW! Put it on, and remember. I promise it will make you as happy as me!
Thanks G for sharing,
~Sallie
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Uniquely Yours Craft Journal 
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