The "Your Life is Your Story" Blog Archives

Read about quality family history and life story news, views, methods, products, links, services

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April, 2004

April 28, 2004

Ok, I watched Big Fish (see entry below) last night with my wife. It really is an entertaining movie with a wonderful storyline. Maybe we all tend to embellish our life events, but the main character in this flick had a gift for it. Or maybe his life was that extraordinary.

Regardless, the lesson by the end of the film is that our stories are part of who we are and they are part of other peoples lives, too. I recommend it.

April 27, 2004

The movie Big Fish is out today on DVD/Video. I didn't catch it in the theater so I'm looking forward to viewing it. Tim Burton, a very gifted (and even a bit eccentric) filmmaker, directed it and the story line has a lot to do with the telling of a life story. Much of the movie is about the recounting of a very colorful life by a dying father to his grown and skeptical son. I've heard it's good and it could spark some great discussion among personal historians. I'll probably comment on it once I've seen it. You can let me know what you think, too.

April 25, 2004

Memories Are Forever is a new site that provides lots of ideas and assistance for preserving your memories of loved ones who have died. The site is rich in content and community driven with a forum where you can ask questions and learn from others. There are also links to a variety of grief support sites and organizations. There's a lot of sensitivity to the emotions and issues people go through when dealing with the death of a loved one. There's no cost to use the site's resources - give it a look.

April 21, 2004

Every May the Association of Personal Historians (APH) features "Personal History Awareness Month". Watch for more news about this on our site as well as our next issue of the Your Life Is Your Story newsletter.

Here's another pertinent quote:

"The farther backward you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see."
- Winston Churchill

April 19, 2004

The stories from the civil rights movement are tales of courage, perseverance, love of justice and the willingness to live principled lives. This is true for the prominent civil rights workers like Martin Luther King, Jr., but also for many ordinary people living extraordinary lives. I discovered a fascinating site that chronicles the Voices of Civil Rights.

AARP and the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights (LCCR) have teamed up to collect and preserve personal accounts of America's struggle to fulfill the promise of equality for all. Visit this living memorial to those who were a part of the civil rights experience and a tribute to the quest for equality that continues today.

April 17, 2004

Online archiving is a way to store your photos and video in a safe way and also let others have the opportunity to see your history in pictures. One option is www.cyberphotoarchive.com, an online digital photo service. Pretty affordable, too.

I also came across this interesting site, part of the Internet archives, where you can view some vintage public domain videos. Remember "Duck and cover"? How about some of those health and training films we saw as kids? (gee, I'm showing my age!) Check out the Prelinger archives.

April 11, 2004

The Easter holiday is one of the major times of year for family gatherings. Christians also observe it as a pivotal event in their religious observance. I hope that you take the time to treasure your beliefs and your family.

I mention on this web site about the value of a family newsletter. It can be a one a year publication, or more frequently, but it's a great way to communicate to relatives, especially if your family members are spread around different parts of the country or world. You should consider recording your Easter events as part of a family newsletter.