Sharing family stories can enrich your life and others lives.  A couple of days ago I was visiting with a friend.  She grew up in France, and she was very upset by the terrorist attack in Paris.  She wished that there could be peace--that people wouldn't hurt each other.  As we talked she shared with me her father's story.  He was a cop in France.  When Germany conquered France during World War II, the police in France were given orders from the Germans.  They were told to round up all the Jews and send the father of a family to one place, the mother of the family to another place, and the children to another place.  Her father refused to follow the orders that would hurt so many people, so he went into hiding.  He helped many Jews to escape.  Then he was captured.  He was tortured but he refused to reveal any information.  Finally he was killed just a few months before the end of the war.  He was only 31 years old and he left a young family behind.  It was a sad time for his family, but what a legacy he left behind.  Although the family moved from the community, what her father had done was never forgotten.  When the family returned for a visit they were treated with great honor.

Although I have been friends with this woman for several years, she had never told me this story.  The terrorist attack in France caused her to think about what had happened to her family.  When something happens that reminds you of events from your past, take time to write them down.  We don't know when an event will trigger a memory, but that is a great time to record your story.