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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
July,
2007
current
blog entries
blog archive index
July
30, 2007
Read just about any tombstone and part of the writing includes the
birthdate and the day the person passed. What separates the
first from the last? Of course, it is all the living in between, but
when you see it on the memorial it's usually just a "dash".
Take a look at www.simpletruths.com and the poem The
Dash by Linda Ellis. The moving video tribute
should give you pause and I hope it reminds you why it is so important
to preserve the events of our lives in some form.
July
25, 2007
There are so many odors and fragrances and the sense of smell can be a
powerful "time machine" to past memories. In my personal
experience the smell of fresh mowed grass in the summer is one such
example. It brings me back to the summer of 1971 when my brother and I
mowed lawns for many of the neighbors to earn spending money.
It was hard, hot work and we pretty much burned up
Dad's lawn mower, but I did make enough to buy a set of golf clubs. It
was a thrill to have that $65 and purchase something I had a deep
desire for.
I'm sure you have memory prompts from various smells. You
might want to check out www.demeterfragrance.com
to get ideas. I visited their site today and noticed Demeter
has just introduced "Crayon" - a fragrance inspired
by Crayolas®
like you used in school (I remember that odor quite well!). They
suggest the fragrance as a creativity inducer.
July
24, 2007
One of the preeminent proponents of ethical wills, Dr. Barry Baines, is
holding training this summer on how to become a certified Ethical
WillsWorkshop Facilitator.
Letting your loved ones know what your life values and
lessons are - what matters most to you - is an excellent legacy.
I've noticed a great deal more about the growing popularity
of ethical wills in the past year. Find out more about the
importance of ethical wills
with this article.
Visit Dr. Baines website at www.ethicalwill.com.
July
17, 2007
Family Learn
(www.familylearn.com)
has unveiled their new and improved Memory
Book service. Memory Press
(formerly iMemoryBook)
has many advanced features to make it even easier to build your life
story online. You
can invite others to contribute and when your book is finished you can
proof it and then follow the turnkey approach to bind and print as many
copies as you want. Plus, your book stays online, enabling you to edit,
add to it and order more copies.
It's an outstanding service, one of the best I've discovered.
You can find out more with the article
I wrote (here).
You can go straight to the site to get started - here. I am an authorized
reseller of Memory Press
Memory Books and you can work with me as your personal historian on
your project. I'd be happy to discuss it with you. Send me an email here and include "Memory
Press" in the subject line.
July
10, 2007
Some of the more interesting stories, ones that hold our fascination
over the years, are those that we find hard to believe, even when there
is lots of information and evidence. One of those topics is
the case for alien life and extraterrestrial visits. Do
little green men exist? Is there intelligent life outside of our
planet? If so, do they travel through space and visit the
Earth?
I am sure that much of it is nothing more than speculation and the
stuff of science fiction. Yet we wonder. Sixty years ago, on
July 8, 1947, the Roswell Army Air Field released a press release
stating they had recovered a crashed "flying disc" on a ranch near
Roswell, New Mexico. However, later that same day another
statement was released saying the debris recovered was from a weather
balloon. And the infamous Roswell
Incident was born (see Wikipedia entry).
Over the years there have been claims by various witnesses that alien
bodies were found with the crash debris. And that perhaps
autopsies were carried out. I don't know if we will ever know
the full truth, but it certainly has fueled imaginations and even
tourism in Roswell, New Mexico where a UFO Festival is held every year.
Walter Haut
was the public information officer at the Roswell base during the
Roswell incident of July 1947. Haut, who lived in Roswell, became one
of the most interviewed and public Roswell witnesses and a key advocate
of a saucer crash. However, he continued to disclaim personal knowledge
of the debris or of the actual craft and recovered bodies as reported
by other witnesses. This changed after his death when a notarized
affidavit he filled out in December of 2002 was released where he
claimed he had seen the crash object and bodies in a hangar. Hmmm. If
you want to read more about it here's a link claiming "Roswell
Proof".
I'm not endorsing one side or another. But I do think it makes for an
intriguing personal history story about Lt. Walter G. Haut.
July
9, 2007
Longtime ABC movie reviewer Joel
Siegel passed away recently from cancer at the age of 63.
Siegel had a keen sense of humor that exhibited itself in his
reviews and with those around him, including coworkers right up till
the end. He also became a father late in life and because he was told
he might not live long enough to see his son born he wrote (and later
published) a book that recorded all that he wanted him to know.
"Lessons
from Dylan: From Father to Son" is the kind of book that has universal
appeal. We all can relate to the message and values we want our loved
ones to know, especially loving parents communicating that to their
children. It underscores once again the importance of
recording our life lessons and values for the benefit of others.
More on Joel Siegel here at the ABC News website.
July
7, 2007
Does today mean anything special to you? Many couples have
been planning weddings on this particular date - 07/07/07.
It's a combination that happens only once every hundred years.
Lots of people consider the number seven to be lucky. Bible
scholars tell us this number was considered to be the number of
perfection, the "God" number, if you will.
Gamblers and those with a superstitious streak think of 7 as the lucky
number, and especially three 7's in a row. So, it is not
surprising that casinos will be packed today and lots of lottery
tickets will be sold.
From your "story" aspect consider your thoughts and beliefs about
numbers and dates. Are there numerical combinations
that mean anything special? You don't have to be
superstitious for them to have an impact. Many of us like the
significance of our birthdays in calendar numbers - i.e. xx/xx/xx. I
recall that my wife and I were hoping our daughter would be born
on 08/08/88, but her birthday ended up being a few days later on the
16th. Her combination of numbers, however, are still
multiples of 8 (for what it's worth).
I find today's date interesting and worth reflecting on. I'm
not inspired to rush out and gamble, but I just think it is an
interesting combination. And as I am always interested in how other
people react to things it is interesting to me to watch what others
will do today.
As an attention getter, this date is useful and I believe that is the
purpose for today's Live Earth global concerts on seven continents. The
performances are designed to draw attention to the Earth's climate
changes and the issue of global warming and you may have seen former
Vice President Al Gore and others speaking about it. More on Live Earth here.
July
3, 2007
Last night the NBC program Dateline
aired highlights of Stone Phillips 15 years with the program.
Phillips has been interviewing people over the years and I
was struck by the variety of people he spoke with and the stories from
their lives. There were celebrities, war veterans, criminals
and everyday people. Stories of regret and shame. Stories of triumph
over adversity.
Stone Phillips closed the show with a segment that he said was his
favorite interview. It was with his father, a wounded World
War Two veteran who was able to turn his disability into an asset and a
motivator for his son. It was very touching. It demonstrated
once again the power of sharing our lives, especially the most
important and meaningful times that value our love and life lessons.
You can read excerpts from Stone Phillips 15 years of interviews online
at msnbc.com.
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