The Story Behind a Photo

What is one of your favorite photographs?  Does it have a story behind it?  

Photographs capture a moment in time.  They may be taken at an event, while on a trip, or to enjoy the memory of a moment.  Perhaps your family members are together for a special dinner or to celebrate a holiday.  A photo taken of the family can create a heart-warming memory.  Many photos are taken of families at weddings or funerals.  A photo taken of a huge family group documents the family's history.  These photos should be passed down through the generations.  Recording dates and names of people and the place the photo was taken at are an important part of preserving the photo for a future time.

You may have a favorite photo that has a story behind it.  For instance, the above photo has a story behind it.  It is my brother, my sister, and I with two puppies.  Our dog, named Trixie, gave birth to a litter of puppies.  My parents determined they would keep one of the puppies along with Trixie.  The other puppies needed to find homes.  I selected one of the puppies and claimed it as my own.  It didn't really sink into my mind that all but one of the puppies would be given away.  One day a man came by to look at the puppies.  He decided he wanted the puppy that I had selected.  He offered me a quarter for the puppy.  I wanted the puppy not the quarter, but my parents had the final say.  I was sad to give up the puppy even though I had a quarter.  Looking back on this photo reminds me of how our family loved animals.  Our pets were an important part of our lives.

Record the stories behind photographs of your family, and you will soon have a wonderful family history.  

https://www.zazzle.com/love_story_poster-228843847560009833

Dealing with Grief

How have you dealt with grief after the loss of a loved one?

The loss of someone you love causes a great deal of pain.  The loss of a loved one is not easy to deal with.  Your future looks very different when you lose a loved one.  You may have to cope with an empty house.  You may lose someone you count on to help you make decisions, sort out your feelings, and make plans for the future.  You may be left with financial loss.  You may be left to raise a family on your own or to provide care to an older parent by yourself.  You may be left with extra work such as car maintenance or home repairs, home cleaning, budget management, or many other tasks that your loved one handled.  If your loved one doesn't live with you but you call and talk frequently or get together for dinner or celebrations, you still feel an emptiness that is very discouraging.  

You may feel guilt that somehow you didn't prevent the death of your loved one.  They may have died from an accident that you wish you could have prevented.  They may have had an illness that you wish you had helped them deal with better.  They may have died from a drug addiction or other addiction.  They may have committed suicide and you regret not recognizing what was happening.  We all want to prevent our loved ones from pain and suffering and ultimately from death.

You may recognize that you aren't able to prevent every tragedy, but you can still feel anger about it happening.  You may feel anger for another person causing the accident that took your loved one's life.  You may feel anger at doctors for not helping your loved one heal.  You may be angry with whoever introduced drugs to your loved one.  You may feel anger for your loved one not seeking help.

In her book, "On Death and Dying," Elisabeth Kübler-Ross outlines five stages of grief.  They are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.  It can help to know what you may go through as you deal with your grief.  Recognizing what you are experiencing is a normal part of dealing with grief can be very helpful.  

Another way of dealing with grief that could be very helpful is to write about your feelings in a journal.  Getting your feelings down on paper can help you process the grief you are feeling.  A journal could be designated for writing your thoughts about your grief.  Consider getting a special journal.  Quotes could be placed in the journal to give you prompts on what to write about.  As you deal with your anger you may want to discard the entries you write about the anger or you may want to keep them to let you see how far you have come later on.  Give a grief journal to others also to help them with their grief.  Write your memories of your loved one.  This journal could become an important part of your life story or could be the start of a biography of your loved one.

Grief happens to all of us.  Recording your experience with grief is a part of your story.  Recording how grief affected family members adds to your family story.  The death of loved ones can change the family story totally.  Add emotion to your stories by sharing the grief that has been part of your family members' lives.

  

Quotes on Grief for Comfort and Understanding
by Family Story Keeper

What are Significant Events from a Loved One's Life?

What do you know about your ancestors?  Do you know where they lived?  Do you know what kind of work they did?  What important events happened in their life?  Do you know what was happening in the area they lived in?  Did they take part in any significant events in history?

You can research where your ancestors lived and look up information on the history of that area. You can look at events that were happening in their lifetime. You will have some idea of the things that probably affected them. A war that their country was involved in surely affected them.  They may have fought in the war.  Some of their family members may have served in the war. They may have lost family members or friends in the war.  They may have been injured in the war.  They may suffer from PTSD because of experiences they had during the war. 

Weather events may have affected them.  Economic problems may have caused financial problems for them.  Political events could have involved them. You may learn a lot about your family even though they may not have written or recorded things that you have access to just by studying the history of the area they lived in.

My father was drafted for World War II.  He went for his physical.  He said after having blood drawn his arm was paralyzed.  He was rejected for serving in the war.  Fortunately, he did regain the use of his arm later on.  He had several friends and family members serve in the war.  His best friend and his nephew died in the war.  I have a photo of my parents after he received his draft notice. My dad is not smiling though nearly every other photo I have of my dad has him smiling.  That part of his life was not a very happy time.  My dad did consider not serving in the war as a blessing though it must have been hard when he was first rejected and thought he would have to live his life handicapped. 

 

Creating a timeline of the life of a family member can be a great way to start their story.  Include the events from history on the timeline.  Those events may give you insights into why your family member did certain things.  There are several websites that provide historical information about what happened on a certain day that you can search for.  

When a loved one passes away one way to honor their life is by creating a timeline using photos from their life.  Arrange photos from their life in chronological order.  Add events that happened during their lifetime if desired.  Write stories about significant events that happened during their life.  Add fun and interesting stories from their personal or family life.  Display at a funeral or memorial service or create a flipbook with timelines of periods from their life. 

Memorial Timeline Wall Art
by Family Story Keeper

What Memorable Clothing Have You Had?

What clothes do you remember from your life? Do you still have some special occasion clothes? Did you inherit any clothing? Do you remember any special stories behind some of the clothing you have? Where did you get the clothing from? Did you sew the clothing yourself or did someone like your mother sew the clothing for you? 

 Clothing can trigger many memories of stories in your life. A wedding dress or prom dress of course will have special memories associated with it.  You may have inherited clothing from a family member.  Clothing styles cycle in and out of fashion so older clothing may come back into style.

Clothing can bring up memories of events that the clothing was worn for.  Obviously, a wedding dress will bring back memories of the wedding day.  There may be a story behind the dress.  Maybe it was your mother's wedding dress.  Maybe it was given to you.  Maybe a family member or a friend sewed the wedding dress for you.  When you see the dress or a photo of the dress you will probably have memories come back to you of that special day and how you got the dress.  

My mother sewed most of my clothing while I was growing up.  When I was in third grade, my school teacher gave me a couple of store-bought dresses that her daughters had outgrown.  I thought that was pretty neat.  Now I realize that because she worked, she was not able to sew clothing for her family.  I feel I was pretty lucky to have my mother sewing clothes for me.  

Are you having a family reunion?  A special custom T-shirt or hat could be a memorable keepsake from your reunion.  You could get a T-shirt with the family name and the year of the reunion.  You could feature family photos in the design.  Having matching T-shirts would make it easy to recognize members of the family.  With a large family reunion, each branch of the family could have a different color of T-shirt or hat.  Then it would be easy to identify who belongs to each branch.  My father's brothers and sisters have been holding reunions for over 50 years.  With children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and great-great-grandchildren there are a lot of family members.  Knowing who belongs to which branch of the family could be a very useful thing.

Family Reunion Together We Have It All with Tree
by storykeeper

Clothing is a big part of our lives.  We use it every day.  We wash our clothes and hang them up or put them away on shelves or in drawers.  We choose our clothes because of the way they look and feel.  The colors we wear and the styles and types of clothing we choose are ways of expressing ourselves.

The fashion of clothing or the types of clothing can give clues to who the people are in photos we have if we don't know who they are already.  You may be able to identify the year by the style of the clothing.  You may be able to identify the region or country by the type of clothing.  You might be able to identify a person's occupation by what they are wearing.    

Clothes will help you with memories from your life when you write your story.  If you are writing the story of a family member, the clothes will give you clues about their life.  Use clothing to help you in writing family stories.

    

 

 

Where Have You Lived and Traveled in Your Life?

Roadtrip through the San Rafael Swell | The Wedge (Little Grand Canyon) ...

Growing up on a farm my family didn't travel much.  As an adult, I have realized that some of the places we did go which weren't very far away were some amazingly beautiful places.  I still haven't seen all the places in the San Rafael Swell.  Seeing videos like this brings back some memories and gives me a chance to see places I haven't seen yet.  You may want to share videos with your family or friends of places you have been too.  Share photos that you have of places you have been.  Write about your experiences in traveling there. 

 

Loa Utah Travel Video

Another way to learn more about your grandparents or other ancestors is to look up videos of places they lived.  My grandmother was born in Loa, Utah.  Searching for videos I found the above video about Loa, Utah.  I didn't realize it was close to the Capitol Reef National Park.  The area is beautiful.  It is fun and interesting to see where she was born.  Look up photos or videos of the places your family members were born or lived.  It can help you get to know your ancestors even better.

Consider making a family tree using a photo of an area your ancestors lived in.  The following family tree mouse pad has a photo of the area my parents grew up in and that I grew up in.  The mouse pad is set up with templates that can be personalized with your own photos.

Family Tree Castle Country Photos and Quote
by storykeeper

Oakland View San Francisco Photo 2 Family Trees
by storykeeper

Create a family tree poster with a photo of a significant place in your family's history.  This photo is significant in my husband's family history since his maternal grandmother experienced the 1906 San Francisco earthquake when she was living in Oakland.  Below is a video filmed in 1906 in San Francisco.

Following is a video of the destruction from the earthquake.

Add to your story or your family's story with information about places traveled to and lived in.

Important Buildings in Your Life

What are some of the important buildings in your life?

The homes you have lived in are important in your life.  So are other buildings you spent a lot of time in.  The schools you attended, the churches you worshiped in, the businesses you worked in, the places that you had fun at, the restaurants where you dined, your grandparents' houses, and many other places that you spent a lot of time at can bring back many memories in your life.  

The first school I attended had three classrooms and a lunchroom with a girl's and a boy's restroom.  I remember playing in the hallways when the weather was bad.  We watched a few movies in the foyer of the school on a screen that pulled down over the main door of the school.  We all brought our chairs out of our classroom to sit on.  We had eight grades in the school with three teachers.  The lunchroom was also a multipurpose room. I went to third grade in this school.  Then the school was closed and we were bused five miles to the next closest town.  I don't have photos of myself at the school, but I do of my sister standing in front of the building.

Another place that I spent a lot of time at during my childhood was church.  There was an older wooden building with a bell on top being used at the time I was born.  Before I was very old a newer bigger building was built.  It is what I remember from my childhood.  There was a chapel with several classrooms and a hall used for programs, plays, dances, basketball, and overflow for the chapel.  

  

As I started thinking about all the buildings I remember in my life, I realize several buildings bring back many memories.  I remember church meetings, songs being sung, plays, dances, weddings, funerals, dinners, the people I knew, the weather like hot summer nights, all of the people at my sister's and my mother's funerals.  

Writing about the buildings you remember from your life will trigger many memories for you.  Record those memories to add more to your life story.

Old Church Building Photo Family Tree Poster
by storykeeper

What Memories Do You Have of Valentine's Day?

How have you celebrated Valentine's Day?

Do you remember celebrating Valentine's Day as a child?  Did you make paper valentines for anyone?  Did you have special food for the holiday?  Did you have any parties for Valentine's Day?  As you grew up did you celebrate Valentine's Day?  As an adult do you look forward to Valentine's Day or do you try to ignore it?

When I was growing up, school was the big promoter of Valentine's Day.  We were asked to bring a box to school with a slot cut out of it.  We would decorate it and leave it on our desk until Valentine's Day. On Valentine's Day, we were to bring a paper valentine for each student in the class.  You could buy inexpensive valentines preprinted with messages and designs or you could make your own.  Then you just had to decide which one to give to each of your classmates.  Some would bring a valentine with a treat attached like a sucker or a piece of candy.  

As a teenager, I don't remember much celebration for Valentine's Day.  You could buy candy or treats made for Valentine's Day and we would do that in our family.  I didn't date so Valentine's Day wasn't a significant day.  

As a parent, Valentine's Day became important again.  I would make treats like heart-shaped cookies or cupcakes.  Helping buy or make valentines for my children to take to school was an important part of Valentine's Day.  A small gift or card for a spouse was important. A sticker on a lunch box or a sandwich bag with a message of love or a sticker on the bathroom mirror could make the day more special.  A handwritten note or letter could send a message of how important a loved one was.  

What things do you do for Valentine's Day?  What was the most special valentine or treat that you made for Valentine's Day?  What was the most memorable valentine that you received?  Include your memories of Valentine's Day in your family's story.

https://www.zazzle.com/valentine_blue_yellow_heart_fractal_classic_round_sticker-256297514846217806

          

Are You Related to Any One Famous?

Have you been told that you had a famous relative?  Who was the relative?  What did they do to be famous?  How close was your relationship?  Did you personally meet the famous relative?  Have you read any stories about your relative?  

I grew up thinking I wasn't related to anyone famous.  My parents told me that I had a great grandparent who was a leader in our church.  That was as close as I came to feeling related to somebody famous.  I just found out that at www.familysearch.org you can find out if you are related to famous people.  I counted that I am related to 30 of the United States Presidents.  I'm also related to Marie Antionette, Winston Churchill, Queen Victoria, and Princess Diana.  I am related to Sir Isaac Newton, Samuel Morse, and the Wright Brothers.  I am related to William Shakespeare, Mark Twain, Emily Dickinson, John Wayne, Jane Austen, Shirley Temple, Bing Crosby, and Charles Dickens.  I am related to 32 passengers from the Mayflower.  I will have to take the

time to find out how I am related.  How far back do I need to go to find a common ancestor?  What were their lives like?  There is much to learn from this information.

If you have an account at familysearch.org, go check out your famous ancestors.  If you don't have an account, create one.  There is no cost in creating an account.  Just think of all the things you might learn about your ancestors. 

My paternal grandmother's great grandparents and their children have been written about in a series of books.  The information in the books was based on facts taken from diaries and journals and on accounts written about the places they lived and the things that happened when they lived there.  Some things were added to make the story interesting, but the facts were kept and only things that were logical to assume happened were added.  I am so grateful to my cousins who choose to write these books.  It truly made these ancestors feel more real to me.  They are not just names in a family tree, but they were real people who had joyful times and sad times in their lives.  What they learned was passed down to me and has affected my life.

Include any stories you know about your famous ancestors in your life story.  What our ancestors experienced in their lives has probably been passed down to us and has affected our lives.  Learning more about your ancestors broadens your view of the world.  Share what you learn with your family. 

Four Generation Family Tree Gold Border Faux Canvas Print
by storykeeper

What kind of heat did you have in your home?

Heat is an essential part of our lives when we live where we have cold winters.  There are different ways of heating our homes.  Record what kind of heat you had in your home and compare it to the heat you have now.  Have you had any times when you didn't have heat?  What did you do during those times?

When I was growing up we had a coal-burning furnace.  It had a hopper that had to be filled with small lumps of coal.  Depending on how cold the weather was, it might have to be refilled twice a day.  That was one of the chores I remember doing.  If we forgot to fill the hopper and it ran out of coal, the furnace would start to smoke.  Instead of nice warm heat throughout the house, there would be smoke.  We would have to evacuate the house, open all the windows and doors, and wait for the smoke to clear out.  I did like the warmth of the coal fire.  The heat vent was right beside my bed.  I liked to stick my feet out of the covers and over the heat vent when the blower turned on.  It was so nice to have warm feet.  

My grandmother had a coal-burning stove in her house to provide heat. When we would visit with her, it was nice to sit close to her stove and get warm.  One winter when I was attending college in the city where she lived, I would go to her house on my lunch break and bring in coal for her stove.  My aunt checked on her in the morning and at night.  That was a wonderful time that I got to spend with my grandmother.

When I first got married, we moved into an older house that had two natural gas floor heaters.  They provided pretty good heat, but with a baby, learning to crawl, it was scary that she might get burned.  We soon replaced the floor heaters with a central furnace that provided heat to each room.  We also installed a wood-burning stove for backup heat.  I was grateful for that stove one October when a heavy early snowstorm took down tree branches all across the city.  One of the trees in my yard took down the power line to my house.  So many power lines were down across the city that it took three days before the power company could get to my house to repair my line.  So I built a fire in the stove, and we were able to stay in our house despite the freezing temperatures outside.

Now I live in a house with radiant electric heaters in the ceilings.  It is easy to just turn on the heat when the temperatures get cold.  I do have a fireplace so I could use it as backup heat if needed.  But sometimes I do miss that warm coal heat we had when I was growing up.

 

 

Fireplace Cat Poster
by AquaBubbleCreations

Record your stories about heat as part of your life story.

Surviving Disasters

Have you been in a disaster? What was it like? How did you cope with it? 

 In my lifetime I have heard and read about disasters. I have seen pictures and videos. I have felt sorrow for those who suffered so much loss. It may have been a tornado that destroyed houses and cars and businesses. It may have been a wildfire that destroyed homes and even cities. It may have been a hurricane that caused floods as well as wind damage. It may have been an earthquake that caused buildings and overpasses to collapse. It may have been a war where many lives were lost as well as communities destroyed. It is one of the things we have to deal with living in this world. 

Depending on when you live and where you live, you will probably experience disasters, Write about what happened in your life. Did it affect other people or was it just a disaster for you? Was it a short-term disaster that you recovered from quickly or did change the rest of your life? What caused the disaster? Was it a natural occurrence or was it because of what someone did? What emotions did you feel? Fear, sadness, and anger are all common emotions during disasters. How did other people react to it? Did someone have compassion for you and help you through the difficulty? Unfortunately, sometimes people take advantage of the situation and try to help themselves by hurting you. I was told by our local Sheriff's office that it was quite common after someone dies for theft to occur in a family and fighting over who gets what often occurs. Death is a time when compassion is needed but may be lacking. Did you feel cared about or taken advantage of?

 I have experienced some personal disasters that affected my life and my family's life, but I have not been a part of a widespread disaster until now. The Covid-19 Virus Pandemic has affected me even though I live in a small town and there are no known cases of the virus here. Economically it has affected me as some of my efforts to earn money have not been fruitful with the closure of non-essential businesses in our state. All of my daughters have lost their jobs because of the closure. There is a fear of encountering the virus. Since it is invisible, you just don't know if you may have already encountered it or if you may encounter it anytime you are around other people. For most people who encounter the virus, it could be a minor illness that may not even slow them down; but for some people it is life-threatening. Since Covid-19 is a new virus people do not have an immunity to it. It is spreading fast. So here I am trying to not feel afraid, but it is a scary time.

Red Sun and Trees Photo 2020 Folded Greeting Card
by storykeeper

 Have you had a time in your life when you said, "This can't be happening?" It would be nice if we could just stop things from happening that we don't want to happen. Sometimes talking about what is happening can help. But sometimes you can't talk about what is happening when it is happening. Writing about it can be another way to help deal with what is happening. Finding things to be grateful for even in the midst of adversity is good. Even if no one else reads what you have written it can be helpful for you to have written it. The adversity you have gone through may uplift someone else as they see how you dealt with it and came out of it.

 I have been reading a family history book. It is difficult reading because it is about a time of persecution and war. I do feel so sad for those ancestors with what they had to deal with. The future was full of fear and uncertainty. I know they went through some difficult things, but they did have some very good things happen in their lives afterward. Reading family history can help as you see the tragedies your family went through and you also see the blessings they received too.

 When I was twelve years old, our family experienced a fire. We had thousands of chickens that provided our family's livelihood, and we had a fire in the main coop. It was a very sad time. We couldn't get the chickens out of the coop so we lost the majority of the chickens. My parents, though, focused on how the fire didn't spread to the smaller coop or to the corrals and especially how it didn't spread to our home. They were grateful for the firemen who responded and made sure the fire was all the way out. They set an example of focusing on the positives even when the negative was overwhelming. I am grateful for the people who had bought eggs from us, who came back as customers when the coop was rebuilt and more chickens were acquired.

The most devastating incident in my adult life was a car crash. It resulted in the death of three family members. It meant hospitalization for one of my daughters and for myself. I spent four months in the hospital before I was allowed to go home. My life totally changed after that. Some physical effects have continued throughout my life. Economically it was really hard. Emotionally it was hard.

We do learn and grow from experiences even when they are hard. Make sure to include the difficult things that have happened in your life along with the good things. Record your feelings and how you dealt with things. Some day someone may benefit from reading about your experience.

Camping and Nature

I just read an article about how good being in nature is for us. It improves our creativity. It improves our nature so we are kinder and more gentle. Since it is so good for us, what memories do you have of being in nature?

Did your family take vacations to national parks or other outdoor areas?  Did you go camping and spend a lot of time outdoors?  Did you spend a lot of time playing outdoors?  Did you help plant and care for a garden?  Did you spend time walking barefoot outside?  Did you like to lie on the grass?  What was or is your favorite thing to do outside?

I grew up on a farm.  Being outside was a part of my life all the way through my growing up years.  I helped plant a garden, pull weeds and harvest the produce.  We had a small orchard of fruit trees.  I remember helping to pick the fruit.  I helped to feed the chickens.  Sometimes I had to walk to find where the cows were and to bring them back to the corral at the end of the day.  My brother liked being outside more than I did.  He liked to capture what we thought were pollywogs from a little pond on our farm.  As an adult, he found out they weren't pollywogs but were a type of prehistoric fish.  My brother liked to walk barefoot outside, which can be good for you except when you find a nail in a board like he did.  We had a horse up until I was twelve years old.  I was trying to get up the courage to ride the horse on my own when my parents had to sell the horse. 

Our parents encouraged us to go camping with the youth groups from our church and with the 4-H clubs.  We didn't go camping as a family all together, but my parents wanted us to have those kinds of experiences.  We did get quite a bit of time outside.  We didn't travel much or take family vacations, so we didn't go to the national parks or other outdoor attractions much. One place we did go was the San Rafael Swell.  I remember Buckhorn Wash.  I remember walking between two rock walls.  We only did day trips.  We went to Buckhorn Wash to get gravel for pouring cement.  I remember seeing petroglyphs.  We could see Cedar Mountain from our farm.  I am amazed by watching videos of the area now and how beautiful it is.  If you are interested, here are a couple of videos of the area.

My Dad at the San Rafael Swell

Share your memories of being nature to add to your life story.

 

Petroglyph of The Great Hunt, Nine Mile Canyon, UT Postcard
by HTMimages

Little Grand Canyon Sunset - Wedge Overlook - Utah Postcard
by ultimateplaces

You're an Angel #Lighttheworld

Have you had an angel in your life?  Have you been an angel in someone else's life?

I have had many angels in my life.  A couple of weeks ago I had been off work sick.  The day I went back to work I came home I found my front door had been decorated for Christmas.  Some angel decorated it for me.  I had to smile.  Decorating was not something I had been worried about doing, but it looked so nice and I felt loved. 

A few days ago, I received a card in the mail.  I opened it wondering who had sent it since there was no return address.  Inside was a pretty Christmas card and inside the card was a gift card for the local grocery store.  The card was signed Santa.

Sometimes I know who the angels are that have blessed my life.  Sometimes I don't know for sure, so it could be any one of several people that I know or it really could be an angel.  I have been blessed by many angels.  Whether I know who the angel was or not, it has been a real blessing to me to have these angels in my life.

Record your experiences with angels in your story. Describe your feelings.  Tell what the angels did for you.  Record your feelings if you were ever an angel to someone else. 

What Did You Feel As A New Parent, A New Brother or Sister, A New Wife or Husband, A New Uncle or Aunt or A New Grandparent?

What feelings did you have with new relationships in your life?

Relationships change in our lives.  Growing up we may have experienced brothers or sisters being added to our family.  Do you remember how you felt about a new brother or sister?  If you were old enough when they were born, you may remember feeling excited, nervous, or jealous.  If you were younger, you may only remember certain incidences where your feelings of happiness or jealousy were expressed.  You may remember fighting over toys or over what TV show to watch.  You may remember having a good time playing with your brother or sister.  Recording your feelings will add a lot to your story.

Later in life when you choose someone to marry, how did you feel?  Most people feel very excited about getting married.  Some nervousness is also common.  Did the nervousness go away after being married for a while or did it escalate and get worse possibly even ending in divorce?

When you had children, how did you feel?  Usually, the birth of a child is a very exciting time, but it also can be a time of feeling inadequate and concerned about being up to the task of raising a child.  What were the things you enjoyed most in raising your children?  What were the most difficult things you encountered?

                                                           

If you are a grandparent, how did you feel when you found out you were going to be a grandparent?  How did you feel when you met your grandchild?  What things do you most enjoy doing with your grandchildren?  What things are hard to deal with as a grandparent?

Record your feelings about any other relationships.  You could write about how you feel about being an aunt or uncle or a cousin.  Even recording your feelings about friends will add a lot to your story.  Your feelings will bring life to your story and make it more real than just the facts can do.  Your feelings will make your story uniquely your own.  Take time to record your feelings.

Love Story Photo Frame Poster
by storykeeper

Memories of Grandparents

What kind of things do you remember doing with your grandparents or great-grandparents?

Were you fortunate enough to get to spend time with your grandparents or great-grandparents?  You may not have spent much time with your grandparents because they lived a great distance from you.  You may not have had much time with them because they passed away before you were very old.  Both of my grandfathers died before I was born, so I never even met them.  One of my grandmothers passed away when I was about six years old.  I only have a few memories of her.  My other grandmother lived to be in her nineties.  I have many memories of her.  I never knew my great-grandparents since they all died before I was born.  Three of my children met their great-grandmother, but she was ill and they didn't get to spend much time with her.  People are living longer now, so knowing grandparents and great-grandparents is more common now.

Writing some of your memories of your grandparents and great-grandparents if you knew them will preserve their legacy for your children.  When you went to your grandparents' house did they give you any treats?  My maternal grandmother had plum trees in her yard.  She often made plum-filled cookies as a treat.  One year my grandmother gave us corn that she had dried herself.  It was a surprisingly sweet treat.

How often did you get to visit your grandparents?  We usually saw my grandmother every week.  We raised chickens and sold the eggs to many people in the city she lived in.  We would take a dozen eggs to her each week, and we usually visited for a little while.  One winter when our van we used to deliver the eggs with didn't have a working heater, we would plan to stop in at grandma's and warm up midway through our delivery route.  Her coal-burning stove felt so warm.  I remember warming up too fast and how painful that was.

Did your grandparents have any special talents?  My grandmother sewed clothing, made quilts, and braided rugs.  I remember one Christmas, my grandmother gave me a bib apron she had sewn.  She made me a couple of pincushions which I still have.  My mother started a quilt top before she died.  My dad and stepmother asked my grandmother to finish the quilt top.  Then my stepmother added batting and a backing and quilted the quilt for me.  The quilt is so special to me since it was the work of three important women in my life.

Write down the memories of your grandparents and your great-grandparents if you were fortunate enough to know them.  Take photos of anything they gave to you or that once belonged to them.  Record your feelings about your grandparents.  The members of your family who didn't get to know your grandparents will appreciate what you have recorded.

https://www.zazzle.com/nature_photo_family_photo_tree_calendar-158741909937911606?startdate=1%2F1%2F2025&social=true

   

   

What Kind of Furniture Did Your Family Have?

What furniture do you remember while you were growing up?

All homes have furniture.  Sometimes there isn't a lot of furniture, but there had to be something to sit on, something to do work on and something to sleep on.  It could be possible that you only had a mat to sleep and sit on and to do your work on, but most people have more furniture than that.  Write about the furniture you had and include pictures if you have them in your story.

The dining room table that I remember growing up was a red Formica top table with silver metal trim.  There were matching chairs, but they wore out relatively quickly.  My dad gave me the table after I had a home of my own.  Eventually, I gave it to my brother. We had many meals around the table and played games around the table and did homework there.  It was a family gathering place.

I remember when we got new living room furniture.  We got a vinyl sofa bed with two recliners.   I still remember a party at our house when a couple of the kids my age jumped onto one of the recliners and broke it.  We hadn't had it very long before it was broken.  We also had a grandfather clock replica with bookshelves.  That was where books for the whole family were kept.  We also had a large console television.

In my sister's and my bedroom, we had a double bed to both sleep in.  When my sister became ill and it wasn't known yet for sure what caused her illness, I had to sleep on the sofa bed in the living room to protect from me from catching something from my sister.  Then our parents purchased a set of bunk beds so that we each had our own bed to sleep in.  My sister and I had an old treadle sewing machine table that we used as a dressing table.  I remember when my dad was too busy to build a bookshelf, my mother had me help her select some boards and help her build a bookcase for me.oRemembering the furniture that your family had will probably bring up some memories for you of what happened with that furniture.  Try writing down all of the furniture you can remember having in your home.  Then write down what things you remember happening with that furniture.  Did you play games around a certain table?  Did you share a bed with a sibling?  Did you have a special desk to do your homework at?  Did you have a favorite chair that you liked to sit in?  Did you or someone in your family build a piece of furniture for your home?  Do you remember shopping for furniture?  Did you inherit a piece of furniture?  Writing about the furniture you had in your home will probably trigger many other memories that you can add to your story.

Photo by Manlake Gabriel on Unsplash

Treadle Sewing Machine & Kittens Journal
by BestAmericana

https://www.zazzle.com/floral_tree_plum_silhouette_family_tree_photos_throw_pillow-256557369930928415

What Games Did Your Family Play?

What kind of games did your family play? What kind of games do you remember playing with friends?

Playing games was a common occurrence in families before television, computers, video games, and other electronic devices came into being.  Families still may play games together, but a lot of other things may take up our free time now.

What kind of games do you remember playing?  Did you play active games like Hide and Seek or Tag.  Did you play games like baseball, football, volleyball or other sports?  Did you play board or card games?  Was your family very competitive or was it more relaxed and just to have a fun time?  What games were you best at?  Did you do well in physically active games or did you do better in games that challenged your mind?  Did you prefer games of chance like spinning a wheel or rolling dice?  Did you play with your family or did you play with your friends?

I mostly enjoyed board games.  My mother like to play board games with us and I played with my brother and sister.  Some games taught math skills.  Some games taught spelling skills.  Some games taught strategy.  We did play to win, but it wasn't a cut-throat competition.   I like games where I learn something from the game.  Games of chance are boring to me.  Recently our church had a Bingo night.  I found myself getting bored because it was just covering up the numbers that were called out.  At another gathering we played a version of Bingo that involved words from scriptures.  That was so much more fun as we would see who could recite the scripture with that word in it.

Recently I found games that help teach family history.  If you have an account on familysearch.org you can find these games by clicking these links and signing into your account.  The games will access your family tree information and create a customized game for your family.  If you don't have an account at familysearch.org you can create one for free and enter your family information and then you can create a customized game for your family.  These games are a fun way to get to know your family.
Wheel of Family Fortune
Geneopardy

I found this Bingo Game and thought what a great idea it would be to get to know family members at a family reunion.

Family Reunion Bingo Game 1
by CountryPatch

Write about the games you and your family played when you were young and what games you play now to add fun to your story.

Photo by rawpixel on Unsplash

What Chores Did You Have To Do?

What Kind of Chores Were You Assigned To Do?

When you were young what did your parents expect you to do?  Did you have to have all your toys picked up before going to bed?  Did you have to help with the laundry, like gathering up your dirty clothes and folding and putting away your clean clothes?  Did you have to sweep and mop floors or run a vacuum over the carpets?  Did you have to wash dishes?  Did you help cook meals?  Did you have to bring in wood or coal to heat the house?  If you grew up on a farm, did you help take care of the animals like milking the cow or gathering eggs?

Chores have changed over time.  Today's chores might be picking up your toys, loading the dishwasher, feeding the dog or cat, vacuuming the floors, and helping cook some meals.

The chores our grandparents did may have been hanging out clothes to dry, beating a rug, picking fruit from a tree, harvesting vegetables from the garden and building a fire to heat the house.

Growing up Saturdays were big days with a lot of chores to do at home.  After getting up I was asked to take the dirty sheets off from my bed so they could be washed.  Then I was to gather all my dirty clothes.  After the clothes were washed, I was expected to hang them on the clothesline outside.  We had no carpets in our house, so we swept and mopped every floor in the house.  We cleaned the bathrooms.  We dusted and polished all the wood furniture.  At night while watching TV we folded clothes and ironed the wrinkled clothes.  Other chores were feeding the animals; gathering eggs; cleaning, grading, and casing eggs; delivering eggs; and filling the furnace hopper with coal to heat the house.

Sometimes the everyday chores don't seem that significant, but they are very much a part of our lives.  Writing about the chores we had to do can add a lot to our stories.  Write about the common everyday things you did growing up.  The things you did may not be so common anymore.

Busy Bears at Work from 1907 Cloth Placemat
by pinkalmond

How Can You Remember Your Family Stories?

There is much to remember from your family stories.  Writing them down will preserve those memories, yet it does take time to reread those stories.  That is why displaying photos of those memories can keep those stories fresh in your mind.  Creating a photo gallery on one of your walls is one way to keep your memories in front of you.  Placing photos on common objects you use every day is another way.  You can preserve photos on pillows, blankets, mugs, mousepads, hats, t-shirts, magnets, keychains, tote bags, and other items you use frequently. 

There are print-on-demand sites that allow you to create your own items customizing them with your own photos.  Following are a few examples from Zazzle.com.

Purple and Gold Spirals Fractal Art Framed Photo Trifold Wallet
by storykeeper

Relaxing Cat Coffee Mug
by storykeeper

When you need to buy something new consider purchasing an item you can customize with one of your family photos. It is fairly simple to customize an item. If you choose to check out items on Zazzle.com and you have trouble with customizing your item, please feel free to contact me through the comments below. You can also contact the designer of a certain item at Zazzle.com to get help. With a few custom items, you can keep your family memories constantly before you. Start thinking of the photos you have that trigger wonderful memories for you. Then find an item to customize with one of those photos. Over time you could have a house full of memories.

Plants are a Part of Our Lives

What kind of plants were grown in your home?

Did your family grow houseplants?  Did you grow them to add beauty to your home?  Did you grow them to absorb toxins in the home?  Did you grow them to eat?  Did they grow really well, or did they struggle to live, or did they even die?

My mother grew geraniums in our kitchen window.  I remember how pretty they were when they bloomed with red flowers.  They had a smell that when I smell it even now reminds me of my home when I was growing up.

Over the years I started growing houseplants that would clean the air like spider plants, aloe vera plants, and others.  I tried growing dwarf orange and lemon trees which didn't do very well.  One of my daughters planted a seed from an orange and it grew pretty big, but not to the point of getting any fruit.  I tried planting a pineapple top, and although it grew big, it never produced a pineapple.  I was given a Christmas Cactus plant which is fun to see if it will bloom for Christmas.

Write about the houseplants you may remember from your childhood as well as the ones you have grown yourself.  If you remember your grandparents growing houseplants write about those too.  Take photos so you can remember those plants.  Write about what you learned about growing plants.  Write about your successes and your failures.  Houseplants add to the atmosphere in a home and they can trigger memories.  Those memories will add to your story.

Christmas Cactus Card
by NancyTrippPhotoGifts

A Best Friend

Have you had a best friend in your life?

At times in our lives we have a friend come along who we enjoy spending time with and who we can count on for help.  Recording who those special friends are can contribute much to our stories. 

As a child I didn't feel like I had a best friend except when I was in second grade.  There was a girl in my class that I enjoyed playing with at recess.  I didn't see outside of school, but at school I felt like she was my best friend.  By the next year, she had moved and I haven't seen her since. 

As an adult, I couldn't pick out just one best friend.  I have several friends that I enjoy talking to or doing things with.  I have one friend who has told me I can call her any time day or night if I need something.  I have other friends who have offered different kinds of help.  Friends do make our lives much happier.  Recording some of the things you have done with friends can add to your story.  Don't forget your family may be some of your very best friends.  Record the things you've done with your family that helps to make them your best friends.

 

Your Friendship... Card
by inFinnite