Thursday, June 28, 2012

Transportation Troubles

Here's another question for your life story:

Have you ever had transportation troubles?

Have you had your car break down and leave you stranded?  What did you do?  Did you have to walk for help?  Did someone stop and offer you help?  Did you have your car towed?  Did you fix your car yourself?  Transportation troubles can add a lot to a story.  Record your experiences with transportation troubles.  Maybe you were involved in an accident.  Maybe you were stranded in a big snowstorm.  Maybe you missed your flight or train or bus.  Maybe you missed something important because you didn't have a way to get there.  

Sometimes transportation troubles can have a positive side.  The kind person who stopped and helped you change a flat tire is a wonderful blessing.  The neighbor who offers you a ride is so appreciated.  The friend who loans you their car until yours is fixed is a marvelous act of kindness.

I have been the recipient of help with car problems.  I have had rides offered from several people.  My co-worker offered me a ride home from work today in her brand new car.  She had to show me how the GPS worked and how when you went to back up there was a picture of the blind spot right behind your car there.  There were so many wonderful features in her car.  It was a real treat just to ride in it.  Maybe it was a blessing that my car wouldn't start and I had to walk to work.  Perhaps one of the greatest kindnesses I have received was when a friend who was moving gave me her car.  She said she wasn't going to need a car and she wanted me to have it because my old car was developing some serious problems.  

If you are writing the story of a parent or grandparent you may have some very interesting stories about transportation to include.  My grandmother said she and her brothers and sisters took a horse and a cart to school.  They had to take along some hay for the horse to eat while they were in school. 

Including stories about transportation will add a lot of interest to your life story. 


Friday, June 15, 2012

The Empty Pickle Jar

The Empty Pickle Jar

I invite you to watch this short movie about time.  It makes you stop and think about how you spend your time.  Watching this movie reminded me of the important things in life and how easy it is to get sidetracked with the small stuff.  I especially like the comment about the chocolate milk at the end.

Friday, June 8, 2012

I just watched a video about Mr. Rodgers.  Mr. Rodgers was on TV when my children were young.  I felt his show was one of the best for children to watch.  Watching this video brought back memories of the time when my daughters were young.  When you see something that brings back memories, record your memories and add to your life story.

Monday, June 4, 2012

What Kind of Foods Did You Eat?

Another question for you life story:

What kind of foods did you eat?

What kind of foods did you eat as a child?  Were you really fussy and just wanted one kind of food, or did you like anything place in front of you, or were you somewhere in between?  Did you always eat at home, or did you eat out a lot?  Did your family have guests over for meals frequently, or was it just your family at mealtimes?  Did you all sit down at a table and eat together, or did you each grab a plate of food and eat while watching TV or reading a book?  Did you have the table set with place mats or a tablecloth and a full place setting, or did you just use the utensils that you needed like a spoon for a bowl of soup or a fork for a salad?  Did you learn to use words like please and thank you, or did you reach across the table to get what you wanted?
Eating is such a fundamental part of our lives that what and how and where and when we eat should be included as part of our story.  Write about your favorite foods.  Write about the foods you dislike and why.  Write about different kinds of food that your family ate.  My dad liked to have a bowl of bread and milk for supper each night.  The milk was fresh and often still warm right from the cow.  He would make a little pile of salt and dip a radish or a green onion or other raw vegetable in the salt and eat it along with the bread and milk.  I've learned that bread and milk was a pioneer staple especially for supper.  My dad continued with that tradition from his pioneer ancestors.  Often the whole family would eat the bread and milk, but sometimes my mother fixed other things for us.  My dad still preferred a bowl of bread and milk for supper.
Include stories about food in you life story to make it even more interesting since every one likes food.