It was 9pm and I was going about my usual business, shooing kids into bed and telling my daughter for tenth time to be quiet already. My patience was worn thin from the last 14 hours of parenting and I just wanted to take a bubble bath and go to bed myself.
I peeked into my 11-year old's room surprised to find him quiet and engrossed in a new book, that turns out, was an old one. It was my first life story project, the memoir I made for my dad in 2015. Each of my kids have had a copy on their bookshelves and for whatever reason, my son chose to grab it and was struck by a photo of his G-Pa in fatigues.
"So G-Pa was really in the Army?"
It made me heart melt to see him reading it and asking questions. My father was a great storyteller, with that great Irish wit and sarcasm for days, and I wish he were still here to tell him more about what bootcamp was really like. Since he died, I've thought of so many more questions I wish I would've asked. It was a bittersweet moment, but I'm glad we have the stories we do have on those pages. I treasure them and the photos he helped select. It's like having a piece of my dad preserved for safekeeping.
I've heard this same testimony from past clients.
"I'm so glad we did this."
"We may remember the stories or the milestones, but now we have the details documented."
"I can already tell you this book will be treasured for many lifetimes."
"His granddaughter said it was the best book she's ever read."
Whether you use a company like ours or try your hand at capturing your own life stories, I urge you to do it. Now. Perhaps you have a parent or grandparent with stories worth saving. Perhaps YOU have a tale of your own to tell.
If you question who might appreciate these stories, I promise you, they will find their reader, sometimes when you least expect it. And just like that, these everyday anecdotes from our loved ones become the greatest stories ever told.
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