What Lessons Did You Take as a Child

Here is another question to help you write your story.
What lessons did you take as a child?  Do you still do any of the things you had lessons for?
I took lessons on the flute the summer before I started junior high school.  The music teacher from the junior high offered lessons so the students would know the basics when school started.  I continued with band through my years in junior high and high school.  As an adult occasionally I would pull out the flute especially if I wanted to know what the melody was like in a song.  When my oldest daughter got old enough to take band in school, I gave her my flute.  Each of my daughters chose to play the flute.

The summer I turned ten years old I learned to embroider from a teacher at church.  The summer I turned eleven years old I learned how to crochet from a teacher at church.  The summer I turned twelve years old I learned how to knit from a teacher at church. I have embroidered a few things as an adult.  I have crocheted several things.  I never really enjoyed knitting and always seem to drop stitches or add stitches so I haven't done much knitting.  I participated in cooking and sewing and wood working 4-H classes.  Of course cooking is a life long activity.  Sometimes I sew although usually it is now just to mend something.  Once in a while I will use some of what I learned in wood working.  

What is Your Favorite Color

Here are two more questions to answer in writing your story.
What is your favorite color?  When did you realize it was your favorite color? 
I first remember deciding what my favorite color was when my sister and I had to choose the color our bedroom walls would be painted.  I've always loved the blue color of the sky on a clear summer or autumn day.  I also love the golden color of autumn leaves against the blue sky.  My late husband also felt blue was his favorite color.  I don't know what colors my parents liked.  My dad was color blind, so color wasn't as important in his life.  I have daughters who like amber, orange, green and red.  If you don't know the favorite colors of family members perhaps you can write down what colors of clothing you remember them wearing, what colors the walls of the house inside were and what color the outside of the house was.  Recording the colors may trigger other memories that you will want to write down.  

Fun Things

Here's another question to help write your family story.
What is the most fun thing you remember doing as a family?

I think the most fun things I remember doing were our family trips to Salt Lake City.  My parents didn't travel much as the responsibilities of the farm kept them close to home.  At times there were things they needed that weren't available in the area we lived in.  We would make trips to Salt Lake City, the largest city in our state.  It was about two hours away.  My parents always planned fun things to do on these trips.  We would go to temple square and go through the museum and visitor's center.  We would go to Hogle Zoo or the amusement park, Lagoon, or to visit Pioneer Village or This is the Place Monument.  One of my favorite things to do still is to go to museums or historical sites.

Mother's Role

Here's another question to help you write your story.
What was your mother's role in the home?
My mother's role in our home was to be a help and support to my father.  She was an equal partner with my dad in the family business.  She had different responsibilities than my dad, but they were just as important as my dad's responsibilities.  My mother prepared our meals, cleaned our home, sewed, washed, and ironed our clothes.  She cleaned the house, washed the dishes, kept the paperwork organized, did the bookkeeping and paid the bills.  At times she helped my father like with feeding the chickens, gathering the eggs or other tasks.  She canned and preserved fruits from the orchard and vegetables from the garden.  My mother also set an example.  She took us to church with her.  She taught classes at church and set the example of giving service.  She also felt family history was very important.  She collected names, dates, places and filled out many charts with family history.  My parents both set the example of caring for each other and supporting and helping each other.

New Year 2010

A new year to me means a chance to set new goals and try to improve my life.  This year I was looking at a jar of ideas for writing your story that I made several years ago.  I never followed through on taking out a slip and writing something about my story or my family's story.  So this year I have decided to pull out a slip every so often and write something to include in my story.  If you'd like to do the same then here is the first idea.

"What was your father's role in the home?"

My father was the main provider in the home, but my mother worked side by side with him on the farm.  My father made the final decisions but he always counseled with my mother.  Often the decisions he made were because of what she said and felt.  My father set an example of working hard.  He set an example of continuing to learn by reading and studying himself.  My father set an example by taking us to church with him, not sending us to church.  He set an example of serving by being the president of the Young Men's organization at our church for a few years.  My father set an example of being cheerful and friendly.  He was known as Smiley because he was always smiling.  My father taught us how to live by living that way himself.

Christmas Advent Calendar--Christmas Eve

For many years my family would read the Christmas story from the scriptures and talk about it or maybe sing a few songs.  Usually there are a lot of last minute preparations like wrapping gifts and preparing food.  Most of our Christmas parties and programs are held before Christmas Eve, so we don't usually go somewhere else.  Usually Christmas Eve is for family activities.  Our family usually drives around on Christmas Eve and we look at all the Christmas lights around town.  There is a lot of anticipation on Christmas Eve and a lot of memories can be created of love and togetherness. 

Christmas and Deceased Relatives

We didn't visit the cemetary at Christmas time to remember deceased relatives.  We just remembered the things they would do at Christmas time.  The first Christmas after my mother died was hard.  I still remember people trying to make Christmas a little better for us.  There was the lady from Greece who lived down the street from my grandmother.  She gave us a plate of many different Greek cookies.  They were so good.  Then I remember the lady in our town who made us a cake shaped like a Christmas tree, frosted with green frosting and decorated with candies.  We were sad to not have our mother there with all the things she would do to make Christmas special for us, but we felt loved by others who reached out to brighten our Christmas that year.  Remembering our family members who are no longer here is something we can do.  We can remember the good times and what they did for us.