Get Back Up

Adversity's Effects

Do you ever have plans that you can't follow through on as you want to because of some kind of adversity? 

For instance, I haven't had a cold in over three years, but I caught one this year and I spend a few days sleeping as soon as I would get home from work. There were many things I would have done during that time that I was sleeping, like adding to this website; but I felt sleeping and getting well were more important. 

Life is full of times when things are difficult and don't go the way we want them to. Perhaps it is a sick family member that we spend our time helping. Perhaps it is repairing something that is broken. Perhaps it is cleaning up after a disaster. When we record our family's story we may want to remember only the good times. Definitely, the good times should be remembered, but the things that were learned from the bad times can be just as valuable to your family. 

A bout of depression may be difficult to write about, but some years from now a grandchild or great-grandchild may be dealing with depression and may be glad to learn what you did to cope with your depression. If you recovered quickly from your depression, they may want to try what you did. If you struggled despite all you tried to overcome the depression, they may know that something else may be necessary to help. Although no two situations are exactly the same and so the solutions may not be the same, it may help to know that someone else struggled with the same problems. So, as you write your story remember to include the difficult times as well as the good times. Record what you learned from both your good and bad experiences. 

 Think about your ancestors. What kinds of adversity did they have to deal with? What was it like for those who lived during the depression? Maybe you had some ancestors involved in the gold rush. What was it like for them? Maybe some of your ancestors were pioneers. What was it like for them? Maybe some of your ancestors were the first settlers in an area or even a country. What was it like for them? There have been many people who have lived without running water, electricity, indoor bathrooms, a variety and abundance of food, nice clothing, heat in the winter, and cooling in the summer. Write about what conditions your ancestors lived in. Cameras, telephones, computers, electricity, cars, books, even the ability to read and write are relatively recent in the history of the world. 

When writing an ancestor's story, researching history during that time period to find out what things were like would help to add depth and understanding to their story. When you interview relatives for their life stories or other ancestor's stories, remember to ask how the things that were happening in the world around them affected them. If they lived during the depression, were their parents employed or unemployed? During World War II were they affected by rationing or by a family member serving in the war? In the '60s how were they affected by the Civil Rights movement? 

 We are not alone and unaffected by others around us. What is going on in the world does affect us. The clothes we wear, the cars we drive, the things we have in our home, how we spend our spare time can all be affected by what is going on in the world. Yet each person may choose to not be affected in the same way as others. Perhaps if you are like me you drive a 25-year-old car, don't keep up with the latest fashion, don't watch a lot of TV, don't see all the latest movies, yet the new cars, the fashions, television, movies, etc. do affect your life because of how they affect others. 

Each story will be unique. Not all the veterans of World War II have the same story of their war experiences. Each story is different even though it is about the same war. So write about the uniqueness as well as the commonalities in your family's story.

Old Church Building Photo Family Tree Poster
by storykeeper

Create a Site to Share Your Family Photos and Stories

I came across share sites at Shutterfly.com yesterday. It is an exciting way to share family photos and stories. You can invite others to add their own photos and stories to your share site. Think of how many photos and stories could be shared this way. Your family photos and stories are most valuable when they are shared.
Create a share site for your family and start sharing more of your family photos and stories.

New Year's Celebrations

The start of a new year is often a time of making resolutions and setting out to make positive changes in your life. Writing down your New Year's Resolutions is one way to record your life story. At the end of the year you can look back and see what resolutions you were actually able to keep throughout the year. The goals you have in your life are an important part of your life story.
Another important part of your life story is what you did to celebrate New Year's Eve or Day. Did your family do anything special to celebrate? Are there any particular New Year's celebrations that you remember? What happened and why do you remember it?
My family didn't stay up till midnight to see the new year in. But New Year's Day was a day of new beginnings. My mother wanted to put away all the Christmas Decorations and clean the house so we could start out the new year fresh and clean. Staying up late to see in the new year isn't one of my favorite things to do. I like my sleep too well.
Record what you did for New Year's and let your family know about the traditions you grew up with.

Is Your Christmas Gift Good Enough?

Time management has always been difficult for me. I always have more things than I can do, and I feel frustrated when I can't do everything that I hoped I could do. Christmas time is especially frustrating as I would like to make it a good experience for the people in my life, but I find time and money limiting in what I can do. Sometimes I think I just need to relax and enjoy a few of the good things that I think of to do and stop worrying that it will be enough. When I think of what made for good experiences, it was when love was shown. One year we participated with a group in leaving presents secretly on a doorstep, ringing the doorbell and running so the family wouldn't know who left the gifts. Other times we have spent time visiting as we dropped off goodies or gifts. Sometimes the bigger gift is the time spent.
Our family were recipients of Secret Santa gifts several times. The first time was when I was alone with two little girls, and the doorbell rang after 9 p.m. I looked out the window and saw no one at the front door. I started to imagine that maybe someone was planning to break into the house and wanted to see if we were home. I decided not to open the door, but went through the house and made sure every door and window was securely locked. I went to sleep rather nervous about why someone would ring the doorbell that late at night and then not be there. The next morning when I went to go out the front door I discovered a package containing two beautiful dolls left for my little girls. I wondered why I could have been so suspicious when someone just wanted to give my little girls a surprise Christmas gift. There were years when boxes of food, clothing, and toys were left on our front porch. One year a friend gave gift certificates to me before Christmas so I could use them for Christmas shopping for gifts for my daughters. Another year a package arrived through UPS. There was no return address on the package. The driver wanted to know who had sent us the package. We didn't know anyone who was sending a package. There was nothing inside the package either to indicate who it came from. No one ever asked if we received the package that they had sent. We never knew who that package of gifts came from. Then there were the gifts that were handmade or specially selected. Some of the best gifts have been the sacrifices of time and money made to be together as a family at Christmas.
Maybe recording some of your memories of Christmas could be the best gift you could give. Why not write your best Christmas memories and share it with your family. If money is tight, why not write your memories and add photos and make a special Christmas book or make a video and post it on YouTube or Flickr viewable by family or friends as a special gift. Sometimes we don't think we have anything to give, but we can always give memories.

Christmas Newsletters

As Christmas approaches many people send out Christmas cards to family and friends. Many of my friends write a newsletter about what has happened in their family during the past year. They include the ages of their children, what grades they are in at school, what talents they have been developing, anything special they have accomplished. They include any significant changes in their lives such as moving to a new home, starting a new job, someone getting married and even illness and death in the family. They include photos of the family. They write about vacations or trips. In other words they create a short family history for the previous year. Such newsletters are great additions to your family's story.
After the rush of the holidays, take time to elaborate on the different events from the previous year. Write down memorable stories. Scrapbook photos from the family vacation or family-get-togethers. Write down what you learned from certain experiences. If you moved, did you find a faster or better way to pack up or unpack. If you were sick, did you learn something new that helped you get better faster. If you started a new job, what did you do to get the new job. Writing down what you learned may help you sometime in the future when you may have forgotten what you learned. It may also help another family member as they deal with a similar challenge.
If a new member was added to your family, write down what was exciting about their joining your family. If new friends or neighbors came into you life, write about them. Include pictures too. If someone left your life, write about them. Death, divorce, moving away, going to school all leave holes in your life that you can record your feelings about. Use this time of year when you reflect on what has happened over the course of the year to remind you of the things you want to write down so you can always remember them.

Damian - Fotolia.com

Thanksgiving

Here it is the week of Thanksgiving. Being grateful is a really good thing, but sometimes it takes something like a holiday to help us stop and take the time to think of what we are grateful for. As you think about your life, what are you grateful for that has happened in your life. Have good things come from the experiences you have had in your life? Have you learned from the experiences whether they were good or bad? What people are you grateful to have had in your life? Are you grateful for your ancestors and the choices they made?
We benefit from the things those before us did. Each generation has a little more than the previous because of what the previous generation did. We don't have to reinvent what previously has been invented, so instead we can improve on it.
This Thanksgiving take time to write down what you are thankful for in your life and what you are thankful for from your family and your ancestors. Let that feeling of gratitude bless your life.