Telling Your Stories, Part III*

Tell your stories! We're the link between the generations.

How many times lately have you said something like this. . . I wish I'd asked my mother what it was like on the Homefront during World War II. I'm sorry I didn't ask my grandfather about Vietnam. I regret not asking my parents about the Great Depression. I should have asked my aunt about the Kennedy assassination. And the list goes on and on. 

And it's likely that your children and grandchildren won't think to ask you. But that doesn't matter, you can write about it, and leave it for them to read. Someday they will really appreciate that.

And another thing!

We're still in a pandemic! I know a lot of you have had your vaccine, but health specialists are telling us don't get out there yet. We're still being cautious and staying home a good deal of the time. After almost a year of this, you're probably looking for something to do. Such a good time to write or record your memories. Good for you and good for your family--JUST DO IT!

You find writing about your childhood to be tiresome? Pick a news event that you lived through and write about that. That will recharge your batteries!

Want to know how to do that? Perhaps these tips will get your started.

Simply write down any and all big news events from your lifetime. And yes, you can google it. I did. Just look for world news from any decade, the 1970's, 1980's, and so on. You'll find some things you hadn't thought of.

Just choose one that you have many memories about. And you don't have to start in writing your account--just jot down any facts or anecdotes that come to mind. 

Here's my random list about Watergate:

• A burglary at the Watergate building in Washington D.C.
• Apparently Nixon ordered the burglary of the DNC.
• Made the news continuously during the 1970's. I had two toddlers at the time, and perhaps didn't pay a lot of attention, but I do know it got old watching the news about it.
• Reporters Bernstein and Woodward became famous as they exposed the Nixon administration's involvement.
• Their informant went by the code name, "Deepthroat."
• Nixon kept lying about it.
• It was revealed that Nixon had recorded office and telephone conversations while he was in office. And yes, discussion about the burglary was contained on those taped conversations.
• Nixon eventually had to resign in shame.

And the list can go on. . .you get the idea. The next step is to decide how you want to record it for posterity. 

You can~

• Write it in your journal.
• Keep a special journal of your thoughts on various news events of your day.
• Write it in your memoir that you might be recording for your children and grandchildren.
• Make a mini-book about it.
• Add it to a scrapbook or smash-book.
• Record your thoughts in an audio keepsake.
• Round your kids up at your next reunion and tell about it.

A mini-book. . . 

I chose to make a mini-book about some of my "Eyewitness to History" events. It satisfies two needs of mine. My need to do something "artsy-crafty," and my desire to write my memories down for my children and grandchildren.

I keep all my mini-books in a large box that I purchased at a craft store. I'm a visual learner myself, so I'll just show you with pictures:

The box I store all my little stories in. I found it at the craft store, and I decoupaged it in antique-looking papers, and with titles I thought appropriate for my box.

A peek inside my box. As you can see, they are very random stories, but hopefully something that my children will find of interest.

This is just one news event that I chose to write about and make a book about. It was so impactful, I had to write about it.

A peek inside my mini-book about the JFK assassination. You can find all kinds of pictures on the internet for your book.

This is such an iconic photo of little Jon-Jon that I had to include it on the back cover.

Please, please, please understand. I do not share this with you to brag or pronounce, "Look what I've done!" As I've stated many times in this blog, I've never had an original idea. The seed for this was planted by an Austin friend who did mini-books in her classroom with her students. I also got the idea from a friend who makes beautiful greeting cards from gorgeous papers and fabulous images she finds. To get one of her cards is a treasure. I wanted to try that craft for myself, and I chose to do it with these little books.

I also share because it might give you an idea of what you can do with your stories. I think that is what life is about--live and learn and pass it on!

And finally I did this blog today as I think it serves two purposes. This is a blog mainly for grandparents, and we are of an age where many of us want to share our stories. If you haven't started writing some of your stories down, perhaps this will encourage you to do so. And I find mini-books to be such a fun craft. In these days of the pandemic, perhaps you are looking for a craft--this is a fun one--something to occupy your time. 

I'll close with a testimony from a high school friend, Tricia. I copied her comment (with her permission) from a Facebook post:

"I've been hand writing a book for my daughter who will share with grandkids or anyone else someday. Just stories about my family, first memories, etc. Really just those stories we tell our kids, but in writing. It was her suggestion. Been fun to reflect on my life too. Working now on adding my feelings and thoughts about monumental world events during my lifetime."

Blogs I've previously written about mini-books and memoir writing:

​www.gigisseasonings.com/blog/the-big-events-of-our-lifetimesharing-the-part-our-grandparents-played

"Each of us is a book waiting to be written, and that book, if written, results in a person explained." Thomas M. Cirignano

*Whoops! I almost forgot. I titled today's blog, "Telling Your Stories, Part III". I have no idea how many blogs I've written on this subject. I fudged on that title.