If you write your life story you expand the stories and let your relatives and descendants get to know the real you.
Did you notice over this holiday week that when the relatives were together that the same stories were repeated. Sometimes the person who was at the event could only chime in for additional information. The stories we tell are the ones that most often are repeated years after we are gone and usually they are funny so they get a laugh from the crowd gathered. But those stories do not really tell very much about us.
We, while we are still living, still can control the information shared and our own legacy. I am more than the girl that ordered ice cream thinking it would cost only 5 cents and having my sister and cousins go and get more money to pay the bill from our parents. I am more than the girl that had an A in German changed to a B to loose the astarik and lower her over all class standings. I am all the stories I tell and so much more. You read some of my stories in my book Remembering…life story triggers and memory essays available on the next page of this blog.
Starting with the family stories that are told when everyone is together is a great way to start on a family history. These are the easiest stories to gather to be part of the narrative. But this is just the starting point to your story and writing.Then the hard work starts by asking the elders in your family what it really was like to live their lives. I am sure once asked a specific question they will be happy to share. Try it and see if works. This expands the family tree and gives so much more insight to the people in our family and genealogy is just a short snipet without the stories.
Hella, Thanks for posting this. You are so right about our ability to “manage” our story and direct our legacy. But only if we take an active role in telling the story or stories (vignettes) of our lives.
You use the word “legacy,” and I think that is so important. The fact is we all have more than just a story to tell. We have a legacy that is our life experience. It’s the sum of our successes, failures, life lessons, happiness and sadness. It’s everything. And sharing it can make a profound difference for others.
If you don’t mind, I’m going to share a couple links with your readers because this is something my co-author/business partner Matilda Butler and I have spent a lot of time thinking and writing about. And since we’re in the middle of our 30th Anniversary Sale, if our message resonates with your readers they can get a very good deal on a writing tool that will help them tell their story and share their legacy. I have a story in this link that will demonstrate the power of an individual’s legacy. Thanks again, Hella. Here’s the link: http://knowledgeaccessbooks.com/anniversarysale/ .
Thanks for the blog – I must say I was attracted by the title!
We make video biographies and we often say: “Our stories define who we were. How we started. How we changed. Our stories define who we are.”
So, keep up the good work!