You know all those stories you heard from or about your parents, grandparents, relatives or ancestors? And the few photos that got passed down to you? And how many of your own life pictures and stories are in your memory space –the box in the basement storage and the one in your head?
And you know how you have always intended to get them pulled together, written out, printed and saved in the fascinating storyline they weave? Plus, preserve them for your kids and future generations?
But life is sooo busy, and there are way too many things to do, and….you never get that Life Story done?
And suddenly you are 76 years old (or any age, really) and hearing of those who are heading to their heavenly home at a younger age than you. I have already outlived some of the parents and grandparents in my line. It’s a sobering thought – and it gives me the perspective I need to energize me.
I have pulled together a system that helps people go from “I can’t imagine” to “my Life Story album is DONE!” Those who tested my online course have given me great helps, tweaks and encouragement as they have experienced the “DONE” in their projects.
But I found myself still dithering a bit. Until this past weekend when the Lord orchestrated so many affirmations of the need for me to get the course out there for public consumption and helping people.
All of the tools I use in the course are found in FOREVER – the digitization of photos and pdfs of stories, the organization of it all, the design of a digital book using them, and the permanent storage preserving them for the future.
So, of course, I need to be totally up-to-speed on all things FOREVER. Therefore, I attended the FOREVER Live conference held in Denver last weekend. And 2 big items stood out in affirmation of my need to “get it out there” and guide others.
First, I took a few of the digital Life Story photobooks created by my course “testers” to a meeting of our team (about 50 FOREVER ambassadors). I shared the visual of the books but also the stories behind their creation. Especially impactful was the father-in-law’s book completed by my friend Lori in time for him to hold it and see it and enjoy it. He is now in hospice care.
Needless to say, all of my business cards and written material on the Life Story system and course were gobbled up by those attendees – many affirmations from them about the desire to do a Life Story album and, of course, being good Forever ambassadors, helping others create them as well.
But the major affirmation was an announcement made from the stage by FOREVER founder and CEO Glen Meakem. He shared the typical struggle of deciding whether to spend dollars on the distributors and tools they need or on national marketing that would also be helpful to them. Then he announced a first for FOREVER — they entered into an advertising campaign with radio sensation Delilah! She has over 8 million listeners, delivers an emotional, family & relationship-focused show that shares our mission. She can be heard on iHeart radio and other stations. She is a great storyteller and has an app with 136,000 photos on it! Yep – we match!
I had never heard of her. Quite a few had. But when she came out on stage and spoke to us all, I was in awe and totally excited about the association with her. How she describes her job? She says she lives life as fully as she can and has had great sorrow – she paints pictures verbally – says we have a world of incredibly lonely people. And she told stories that totally captured everyone in the room.
She sealed the deal with me when she said “I can’t take the moral high ground with anyone, we are all here walking each other home.” She has a strong faith. And then she gave each of us in the audience a copy of her book (ok, that really seals the deal with me, major reader that I am).
Upon returning home, I dipped into her book “One Heart at a Time” – subtitled “The inspiring journey of the most listened-to woman on the radio”. There would be no “dipping” – her story captured me immediately. I can hardly put it down. Yes, I highly recommend it to you.
But the main thing I want to share is what she said in her book that just underscores my work on the Life Story course. One of the main “obstacles” I hear from people keeping them from doing their Life Story – they either say their story is not important or they say they can’t share the hard times or hurtful things. Think again….
Here are Delilah’s words:
Have you ever considered that the hurts in your past are meant for something greater than you? God hurts with you. He didn’t, nor doesn’t, want bad things to happen to you. But here’s the really interesting fact: God can redeem anything, and anyone at anytime. Your pain and suffering of the past can be healed, and not only that, it can be used to heal others. Have you ever stopped to consider how someone else may need your story? That’s exactly the point of this book, in case you forgot. Changing the world one heart, one story at a time. That means you telling your story of redemption and offering hope to the next person going through some tough stuff.
If you’re feeling crushed by the weight of your past, by abuse, by guilt, by shame, by something you’ve wasted good years on, you need to ask God to redeem your pain and use it for good. Don’t spend another moment feeling sorry for yourself, because you are stronger than you think. I know it. God knows it. It’s time for you to take that heavy brick off your shoulders and use it to lay a firm foundation for your future.
In case you think she may not know how tough you have had it, let me share a few details of her story:
Disowned by her father, divorced, and fired from a dozen jobs over the years, she pushed forward through family addiction and devastating loss, through glass ceilings and red tape. Her consistent goal to help those in need took her everywhere from the streets of Philadelphia to refugee camps in Ghana. Along the way, Delilah was blessed by 13 children – 10 of them adopted. Though many of them contend with special needs and the forever effects of a broken foster care system, her children have been able to transform their own remarkable lessons into guiding lights for other kids in need.
So, what is stopping you from making the decision to do either your Life Story or a relative or friend’s Life Story? I hear those “reasons” rolling in….so let me share in a quick-read download HERE titled “The Top 3 Reasons Your Life-Story is Not Done YET….and How You Can Go from ‘I Can’t Imagine” to “It’s DONE!” I’m rooting for you! Want to talk it over? Just set up a quick call with me HERE
