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The
"Your Life is Your Story" Blog Archives
Read about
quality family history and life story news, views, methods, products,
links, services
...and whatever else catches our fancy
January
2013
current
blog entries
blog archive
index
Rolland's
Life Stories Inspire His Fiction
JaNUARY 31, 2013
I met Rolland Love, a grand elder of fishing, exploring and life
stories, last June in Kansas City. We'd communicated by email prior to
that, around the time my Dad was passing away, just over a year ago. He
is the driving force behind, I'm A Story,
a website designed to get you to write and post (for free) your life
story experiences.
Rolland is instantly likeable. Sitting next to him you don't need to
talk much. His presence speaks volumes. One of his loves, besides
fishing, is writing. He's good at it, sort of a modern day Mark Twain.
I've been reading his youth targeted novel, Blue Hole, to my
fifth grade class and everyone is enraptured by the adventures of two
young boys.
I'd always thought it was just a good, fanciful story about two
youngsters gone camping and searching for the town doctor who'd
previously dissapeared in the Ozarks. There's a mysterious cave as part
of the story. Now I get the distinct feeling truth inspired the tale (I
might be wrong, though). At any rate, Rolland has started blogging
about his life and the entry, Death
in a Cave, is riveting and reminds me of the two young
boys in Blue Hole. It's a good reflection and I think you'd enjoy it - more
here.
Journal Writing Reflection
January 26, 2013
One of the comments I often hear from others who want to write about
their life is that it is hard to keep it up. And they are correct! Life
writing is not easy. But there are simple things we can do on a regular
basis.
All productive writers tell us that regular writing sessions are
essential. I best practice this by writing in my journal. I've been
doing this for many years. I've tried different approaches, from
handwriting in notebooks and bound books with lovely blank pages, to
typing away on the keypad and storing it in computer documents. I
recommend you do whatever works best for you. I find I am more
productive if I can type it on a computer. But the handwriting work can
result in a slower pace and more reflection and you can also spend time
doodling and drawing. Adding artwork to your journals can be a
wonderful. It can inspire you to deeper and richer writing.
| continue
reading |
One
Day Inaugural Special From Richard Blanco
January 23, 2013
On Monday, as part of the ceremonies surrounding President Barrack
Obama's inauguration into a second term, Richard Blanco read his poem
written especially for the occasion. One Today, in my
humble opinion, is an instant classic. It captures the spirit of
our people, our country and our times. The piece was not pompous or
bombastic; neither was it pious or particularly political.
Richard Blanco gave us words that capture the essence of our diversity,
our varied economy, our sense of grandeur and commonality. It spoke of
our humanity.
It is common for presidents to have a poem written for their
inaugurations. As one can imagine, it is a prestigious honor and
a challenge. Richard Blanco rose to this challenge magnificently and
gave us a gift in both his words and how he spoke them at the ceremony.
You can view and hear his rendering here.
What is it about poets that can inspire, incite, uplift and accost us?
In a word, truth. Poets who honor their calling must labor over their
lines and verse. It is hard work to craft and revise until the words
come to life. It is akin to the sculptor who chisels away at the stone
to reveal the artistic object inside.
I admire poets. It hasn't always been so. Over time I've been
introduced to some good ones. Maybe it is the perspective I have at
this stage of life. It was a privilege to work with a young poet in
Mississippi on a book about his life so far (Believer
Poet: The Mission and Early Life of Ahrend R. Walters, on sale here).
Now we are working together on a new book. He is awakening to his
ever-evolving inner voice and his poetry is growing in new and exciting
directions. The Soul
Awakening
he is experiencing coincides with his ongoing discovery of who he is
(including changing his name to Ahrend Torrey). It's fascinating to
help chronicle this journey.
Thank you to all the poets who speak their mind and heart. We need your
honesty, courage and vision.
Legacy
Letters, Value Statements and Ethical Wills
January 17, 2013
Values - we all have them even if we are not consciously aware of them.
The things that are most important to us in our life journey shape and
influence us everyday. The need to be in touch with these values and
communicate them to others has spawned a growing trend of writing
Ethical Wills. The popularity and necessity of "last wills and
testaments" or "living wills" is well established. An important
component should be the legacy letter, value statement or ethical will.
| read more |
Writers
Whose Life Story Inspired Others
January 15, 2013
Many people aspire to writing. It is a gift to be able to write well,
but many people often don't explore it.
In school we are encouraged to write. I know this as a fact; I teach
5th grade and each day includes many opportunities for the students to
express themself by writing. But it does take some hard work.
Our lives are our stories and thankfully throughout history there have
been many writers whose life story inspired others. A guest post by Eve
Pearce gives us insight into some of these writers, including Thomas
DeBaggio, Dave Pelzer and Anne Frank. You can read
the article here.
Portrait
of a Father as a Young Boy
January 14, 2013
 My
sister gave me this picture some months ago. At first I thought it was
a picture of me as a toddler. But I soon realized it is a picture of
Dad. On this one year anniversary of his death I am finding some
comfort in focusing on the happy, smiling boy. I only knew my father in
his adult years, yet it is good to recognize that he was once a young
kid. He experienced youth, he played and laughed, cried and got scraped
up. He learned about the world with the wide-eyed wonder that children
have and which we so often lose in our later years.
I am grateful for this portrait of my father as a young boy. And I am
grateful for the legacy he left. I didn't get all of his story and it
is now up to me and my family to construct what we remember if
we
are to put together a commemorative book. But I do know he gave us his
heart, even if it was hard for him to express it.
I am reminded of the U2 song, All
I Want with the lyrics:
You say you want
Your story to
remain untold
But all the
promises we make
From the cradle to
the grave
When all I want is
you
More Music
Memoirs
January 10, 2013
Music memoirs and biographies continue to be a popular trend, fueled in
part by the very large baby boom population hitting senior citizen
status.
 I'm
Your Man, a
biography of singer/songwriter/icon Leonard Cohen, was released this
past year and made some best of lists. The author, Slyvie Simmons,
tackled the difficult subject of documenting Cohen's life (he is
enigmatic, a modern-day bard contemporary of Bob Dylan). She reportedly
got some great insight into the man best known for songs such as
"Hallelujah" and "Suzanne" (NY Times review).
I love the great insight of another Cohen song, "Anthem", with the
line, "Ring the bells that still can ring / forget your perfect
offering / there's a crack in everything / that's how the light gets
in."
 Bruce Springsteen is the subject of a
new bio by Peter Ames Carlin, who
despite being a huge fan restrained himself in the project so as to ask
the probing questions and get a more fully human story of "The Boss" (Pat Healy
review here).
Although there have been other Springsteen bios, this was the first
time in 25 years that Bruce collaborated with a writer and he
apparently really opened up. It was a three year process that both
Carlin and Springsteen found satisfying. “He told me later,
after
he read the book, that part of what he valued about it was that he was
reminded of how special the people in his life were,” says
Carlin.
One of the most fiercely independent songwriters and rock musicians of
the past 50 years is John Fogerty of Creedence Clearwater Revival fame.
He ended up splitting with fellow band members and went through a long
battle with them and his record company over the right to perform his
songs. He's also put out some powerfully good solo efforts and he's got
a quite a story to tell, which he will divulge in his forthcoming
autobiography, currently untitled but planned for a 2014 release from
publisher Little, Brown and Co.(AP story).
These music masters have lived big lives with great stories. But they
are also just human beings, not unlike you, who have a desire to get
their story preserved in print. The trend will undoubtedly continue and
I enjoy reading about them because it helps frame my own story since I
grew up during the time that rock n' roll came of age.
You might want to also read this previous post, Rock
Star Memoirs.
Honoring
Fallen Sandy Hook Students
January 6, 2013
The tragedy of the lives lost at Sandy Hook Elementary School on
December 14, 2012 in Newtown, Connecticut rocked the world. Violent
shootings seem to have increased over the years, but this mass killing
was particularly horrific in that 20 very young students were gunned
down.
It will take a long time to heal the hurt. We can't change what
happened. But we can honor those who died. We can learn a lot from
those children by looking at how they lived their all too brief lives.
Youngsters at that age (6, 7 & 8) are full of awe, wonder,
curiosity and enthusiasm. They didn't live long enough to have careers
or titles. Their obituaries aren't about what they accomplished, but
rather on how they embraced life fully. They danced, played soccer,
laughed and didn't have to obsess over mortgages or what people thought
about how they made a living.
Are there lessons in that for adults? Jenn Singer thinks so and her
thought provoking blog post, Life Lessons from the Newtown Obituaries
is profound. It has her contemplating her 75-year old mother, family
tributes and most importantly, how to more fully appreciate whatever
time we are given in life.
It's a fact that we will all one day die. How we live and the legacy we
leave are important considerations. The beginning of a new year can be
a good time to give this some thought. If you haven't read Gemini
Adams, Your Legacy of
Love: Realize the Gift in Goodbye, I recommend you learn more about it.
You can prepare for your life end with dignity and loving purpose.
Getting
Started on a New Year
January 2, 2013
It is a New Year and that is always a time to look back some and then
look forward. Seeing where you've been and then considering where you
want to go is important as part of life reflection. The philosopher
Soren Kierkegaard said it well, "Life can only be understood backwards,
but it must be lived forward."
I think it is important not to get caught up in the past. Don't dwell
morbidly over past mistakes, but learn from them. Don't wistfully wish
for bygone days of enjoyment, but treasure them for the joy they've
given you.
I like to think of life story work as both preserving our journeys and
also living every day fully. Now is the only real
time. Be present to the present. But don't discard the value of an
autobiography, memoir, family history or ethical will. These are just a
few ways to document your life journey and also include the lessons,
meanings and values you want to pass on.
Getting started is often the toughest part. However, you've heard it
before: the longest
journey starts with the first step.
A previous article I wrote might help you with some questions to
consider as part of interviewing a person for their story; or use them
on yourself. Read Ten
Good Life Story Interview Starters here.
Here's a toast to the New Year! Make it one in which you live fully and
preserve the story. Others want to know your life. It helps
them appreciate their own journey and just maybe will help them realize
that their life is their
story.
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