Your great great grand-daughter (or great grand-niece) may have a picture of you which was saved by someone along the way. If she’s lucky, someone wrote your name on the back of it, or in a photobook. And hopefully, they identified where you were in the family tree. But what will she know about you?
Will she know you were a single mom with 2 young boys under 10 who put herself through law school working 2 part-time jobs, one of which was throwing a daily newspaper route? Will she know what shaped you, your values and your faith? Will she know how this focused time period impacted your life, family and future work? Would those stories be encouraging or inspirational to her – would she or others in the family NEED to hear them?
You may brush this topic aside with the thought of “oh, my story is not special, or interesting”.
“Who cares?” Or “I don’t have kids” or “my kids aren’t interested” – tons of excuses are available to you. But let me share a story:
A carpenter worked on a house damaged by fire in a little town in Illinois. Amidst the restoration project, a surprise lay in wait for him. It was a fire-damaged house but amidst the remaining wood structure, etched on a piece of wood, were intriguing markings that whispered a tale. A faint yet legible lettering spelled out “Note” – and piqued his curiosity. He slipped his cell phone into the groove, capturing a snapshot of the hidden treasure – a small, vibrant orange bottle adorned with a paper message enclosed within.
He extracted the fragile parchment from its snug sanctuary. It was a letter, a message penned by a 14-year-old soul from the past. The young author, Stephanie Herron, wove her narrative. She recounted the home’s history where her parents Ernest and Rose dwelled alongside her sisters. The home, born in 1872, was their shared haven. But it was the heartwarming insights into her parents’ lives that resonated deeply.
Stephanie’s words painted vivid pictures of her father, a dedicated lineman for the Chicago and Northwest Railroad and her mother, a nurturing registered nurse at Hopedale Nursing Home. Her description of her mother as “a very good mother” sent ripples of warmth through the hearts of readers.
Stephanie’s youthful handwriting encapsulated wishes that transcended time, “I hope you have lots of happiness in this house.” As if passing a baton in an invisible relay, the carpenter’s Facebook post on this sparked a connection between past and present resonating deeply with strangers who marveled at the beauty of her words.
PostScript – eventually the internet weaved its way to Stephanie Poit, formerly Herron, who was then 61, happily married with 5 children. Her simple note, written in the bloom of adolescence, became a beacon of inspiration, prompting teachers to set their students on the path of preservation.
The article summed it up this way – Stephanie’s letter, a whisper from the past, became a symphony that harmonized generations, reminding us all that our words, even from the tender hands of a 14-year-old can ripple across time to touch hearts we’ve never known. In the midst of construction and the hum of daily life, Stephanie’s voice from the past reminds us that within every nook and cranny, lies a story waiting to be unearthed. And in the simple act of preserving memories, we create bridges that stretch far beyond the confines of our existence. In essence, we weave the threads of humanity into a tapestry that transcends time itself.
It is my hope that Stephanie was able to pull out of her treasure boxes a photo of herself at 14. Can you imagine how excited you would be if that photo and story told in the letter were your grandmother’s – or great great-grandmother’s?
That’s what I’m talking about…you DO have a valuable story (actually, MANY stories). And you know how much passion I have for helping people narrow down the task of capturing and preserving their overarching journey in a Life-Story photobook – easily and without the overwhelm that stops so many people in their tracks.
Well, it is time to open up my course again – some have been asking when and how to get in, so “here we go”. You will be getting an email this week with the announcement.
Meanwhile, for all who are wondering if you just might consider doing this, or you are thinking “how could I even do this”, or you are ready to give it a “quick try”, I have an exercise for you. A quick way to test out the idea for yourself – it only takes 10 minutes. (or if you are not interested, you can still do this, just for fun)
What if you could narrow it down to just a few memories/stories/events that were life-shaping? Don’t get skittish on me, now. I am talking about a brief dash of time and energy on your part – all within a 10-minute span. Yep, you set the timer for 10 minutes and just follow the prompts on this download.
You may be quite surprised at the results – and enjoy the brief journey on which it takes you!
Click HERE.
