I attended a conference a few years ago lead by an older man who began by saying that when you reach his age there are three things you tend to talk about: the way things used to be; recent medical history; and grandchildren. I am finding a lot of truth in that statement. I’m not sure what age it begins but I do love to talk about and with grandchildren and I like to remember things of the past. There is a warmth to some of those memories.
I was traveling with my granddaughter a year or so ago and decided to drive past my childhood home. As I did I told a bit of what life was like then. When I finished, she said, “tell me more stories about when you were a boy.” For the next two hours I told stories – each one followed by, “tell me another story.”
Yesterday, my daughter called to ask if I ever thought about writing those stories down – perhaps having them illustrated for a children’s book. Honestly, the thought had never crossed my mind. She went on to say that even if it never became a book, it would be great for the grandchildren to have.
When I hung up the phone, my mind was flooded with memories of childhood experiences. I don’t know if I will get them written down or not but I had fun traveling into the past for awhile. Perhaps those stories will become the focus of a totally separate BLOG.
I took a trip this week – a trip into those childhood days. It was an enjoyable trip and I am thankful for a daughter and granddaughter who asked me to tell more stories.
February 6, 2008 at 8:43 pm
Hi, Tom–looking forward to reading and traveling along the same road during Lent.
The power of story–yes, indeed. If you ever want to try to capture some of those in words AND photos, Creative Memories has software for creating your own unique hardcover books. As a first-time grandma as of this past October, this concept holds great interest for me! Check out their website at http://www.creativememories.com/ and click on the “digital storybooks” tab at the bottom of their home page.
February 6, 2008 at 9:01 pm
Thanks for the tip!