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Writing Your Life Story Blog

Here's where you find out what's new at Your Life is Your Story.

Jan 24, 2020

Life Lessons from Your Story

One of the powerful reasons for people to write about their life experiences and share their stories is that everyone learns lessons from certain situations they have been in. I call them valuable life lessons.

Teaching elementary kids about the power of story can be really fun. Each year I typically guide my fifth grade class through a project that teaches them about their family. I get them to consider who they are and what they are like in the context of their parents, grandparents and other family members. In order for them to fully appreciate this I ask them to pick a family elder and interview them.

This year I asked my students to get the elder to tell them a story about a particular time and experience in their life that taught them a valuable lesson.

Continue reading "Life Lessons from Your Story"

Jan 19, 2020

Two Words of Advice for Parents and Grandparents

Dealing with the sometimes delicate interactions between parents and grandparents over the children means respecting each other's boundaries, being good influences, modeling behavior that you want those children to learn and understanding our roles. Since I have lived as a child, grandchild, parent and grandparent an article I read in GRAND magazine is on to something.

The author's two words of advice are different for the grandparents than they are for the parents.

Continue reading "Two Words of Advice for Parents and Grandparents"

Jan 17, 2020

Your Circle of Influence

You may think there are not many people you influence, but upon careful examination you could be surprised.

All of us move in circles of family members, friends, acquaintances and strangers. Our level of influence on any of them can vary.

I believe that many of us have positive impact on others that we are unaware of. Maybe sometime down the road you might find out that you helped a person through something in life. Your circle of influence is important. Never take it for granted.

Continue reading "Your Circle of Influence"

Jan 09, 2020

Your-Life-Your-Story - My Life Story Blog Archives, December, 2019

An archive of previous My Life Story blog entries from December, 2019 regarding personal history, life story writing and more.

Continue reading "Your-Life-Your-Story - My Life Story Blog Archives, December, 2019"

Dec 30, 2019

On the Train

I have a friend, he's one of those "one day at a time" guys, and he is fond of living his life like's on the train. Note, I didn't say, a train. THE train, as in the way he travels through life.

People get ready. There's a train a-comin'. It's the 2020 Express. Only a couple of more stops left on the old 2019. As is customary at the end of a calendar year, people get reflective. We look back and consider those promises and resolutions we made on the first stop or two of this year's train ride. How'd that work out for you?

Continue reading "On the Train"

Dec 22, 2019

Winter Soul Tis

I admit it. I am a sucker for clever wordplay. It’s the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year here in the Northern Hemisphere. That means we will start having more light each day as we go through the long and cold nights of winter.

‘Tis the season of holidays. These can be joyful and bright. Or for some, they can be kind of difficult. It is not unusual for people to be depressed when there is less sunlight. But we also need spiritual light.

Continue reading "Winter Soul Tis"

Dec 09, 2019

Legacy Letters Pass on Values

A legacy letter is a deeply life-affirming way to pass on your love and values. It can be a document, book or recording - or any combination thereof - that becomes a treasured personal history item whose value is immeasurable.

Getting guidance and help with this is the mission of Legacy Letters. Leah Dobkin guides you through this process and helps you create a lasting and memorable legacy letter that passes on values and not just valuables.

Continue reading "Legacy Letters Pass on Values"

Dec 05, 2019

How Your Story Becomes a Memoir

How does your story that you might be writing become a memoir?

It helps to first consider just what a memoir is. William Zinsser, a highly respected writer who knew a thing or two about life story writing, said, "Memoir isn't the summary of a life; it's a window into a life, very much like a photograph in its selective composition. It may look like a casual and even random calling up of bygone events. It's not; it's a deliberate construction."

Continue reading "How Your Story Becomes a Memoir"

Dec 05, 2019

Your-Life-Your-Story - My Life Story Blog Archives, November, 2019

An archive of previous My Life Story blog entries from November, 2019 regarding personal history, life story writing and more.

Continue reading "Your-Life-Your-Story - My Life Story Blog Archives, November, 2019"

Nov 26, 2019

Life is a Spiral and We Keep Coming Back to Certain Lessons

Do you know the saying, "Three steps forward, two steps back"? That's really how our life works. Your life journey is not one straight line. Although we do experience our life in one thing after another, the path we travel is really a winding one.

I have found that I often re-learn lessons I've been taught before. We go through stages in life and sometimes we need to come back to certain lessons.

Continue reading "Life is a Spiral and We Keep Coming Back to Certain Lessons"