So... I went to bed thinking about this last night & woke up thinking about this, so I'm compelled to write.
Someone I only "know" through social media passed away suddenly at 40 yesterday. I was shocked & I cried. In reading his wife's posts and IG stories, I'm not only reminded about Bryn & I watching his silly videos 9 years ago, but also of my own anger I had to sit with for many years when my sister passed away suddenly.
I'm also reminded that life is SHORT. So find what makes happy, find your passion, find what lights you up. Give your energy to those that matter... those you love & who love you back. Ignore the nonsense, the negativity, the drama. Make each day count because there are no guarantees & none of us know how long we have here. But who you are, how you make people feel and the impact you have on others is your legacy, whether you realize it now or not.
Back story...
As some of you already know... I used to be heavily involved in the world of scrapbooking, card-making, paper-crafting.
It's the sole reason my blog came to fruition in 2008... to be a vehicle for more exposure in that world, to have a place to showcase my work, to market for the companies I'd someday represent and even to share part of myself, my life, my family.
And it worked. I would eventually have companies send tons & tons of free product to me in exchange for my design work.
I would eventually have my stuff published in magazines & books & product catalogues.
It took me a couple years of hard work & determination, but I did it. And the first time I made it into Creating Keepsakes Magazine in February 2011, I about lost my mind. Not even kinda kidding. I'd been in Scrapbook Trends & other books by that point, but CK was the mecca of all publications at the time as far as I was concerned. And I think I shared in that opinion with most people.
All of this wasn't a huge money-maker for me, but I did get paid for work that got published, and the magazines would also pay me when they published my work.
I LOVED it. All of it.
Blogging, writing, designing, scrapbooking, taking photos, taking photos of my work, card-making, marketing products, submitting my stuff for publication, the social media forums... all the FREE products I received... seems like forever ago & also just like yesterday.
People that followed me over the years watched Bryn grow up too. Her face was on most of the pages that were published, so technically she can say she's been published in magazines & books too. LOL
I've been scrapbooking for as long as I can remember in my life, with old scrapbooks from my youth that I've found made out of construction paper & yarn. Photos, memories, stories, pretty paper, glue, stickers... ugh... why am I not still obsessed with it? I love it so much.
Oh yeah... Zumba stole my heart, time, energy, passion... and then my other passion took a backseat.
Coincidentally though... BOTH passions have helped me with my grief over the years. Both require focus on other things or other people... and both allow me to escape my own thoughts and place my attention elsewhere. Both started as hobbies, but they drive me in different ways and save my sanity.
And just like with any other industry, the paper crafting world has people everyone knows because of the work they do or because of the companies they're associated with or simply because of social media forums where you might get to chatting and strike up friendships based on your common interest.
I met some of the people I knew only online, in person at convention or even on family trips believe it or not, but whether actually meeting people or not, you knew who was who.
Elizabeth Kartchner, aka. Dear Lizzy, has been a huge influence in that industry forever. And just like anyone else who blogs, or in her case... creates a product line sold in stores, you get to know their families through them over the years.
I stopped following the majority of the people I followed back then when I stopped regularly blogging & designing because I was following everyone typically through their blogs.
Facebook & Instagram started taking over the world of social media, with blogging in general losing much of it's steam for most people.
And in my own life, fitness started to play a bigger role.
And unless I made a point to follow people through FB or IG, I lost touch with their lives over the years.
But Liz's husband, Collin, became well-known in the industry along with her. At one point he made a handful of videos poking fun at the scrapbooking industry. To most people the things he says in these videos, the names (I ♥ Cathy Z.) & picture of Lisa Bearnson on the wall... would make no sense. But to those of us at the time, we were living it. And it was laugh out loud funny to me. And also to Bryn who watched with me.
Fast forward to 2 years ago when Bryn had her wisdom teeth pulled.
If you remember I posted a video on my blog of her still high on drugs on the way home from the appointment. In the video she randomly blurted out, "Hi... I'm Cleetus McDuffy... get some..."
I mean... WHAT?! You hadn't seen that video in like 9 years??! I laughed so hard at her that day! Crazy kid.
All this back story though to say that he passed away suddenly yesterday. He went on to do more than just be his wife's sidekick... and by the way, those two seemed inseparable & quite a team. 4 kids later & in the past couple years he was a big advocate for kids with regard to social media & Smart phones. Cause of death was unknown & natural causes stated. Someone said brain aneurysm today, but either way he was young.
Liz's Instagram Story yesterday immediately brought back my own feelings of anger that I experienced when my sister passed away suddenly. And it's hard to imagine this anger unless you lose someone suddenly that you were very close to. I remember this feeling so vividly. It's painfully relatable & takes me right back to what has healed in me over the years. But it took awhile, especially when well-meaning people say the wrong things to you. Or want you to be ok when you're not. And all you can do is keep getting out of bed every day.
And by the way, they're Mormon. Her last post referencing how she'd only said the F word once in her life when she was 16...
They didn't know us, but we know them. Rest in peace, Collin.
Sending prayers of strength for the Kartchner family. We are so very sorry for your loss. ♥
And maybe I'll pick up some paper, glue & photos today just for old times sake...
XOXO
