Heirloom Stories

A recent discussion with Jeff Miller, my writing coach, revolved around our personal stories, which he described as special heirlooms we leave for family members.

Heirloom stories are rich and compelling treasures we leave behind.

On our second trip to Alaska my husband and I discussed if anything happened to us, our kids probably didn’t have enough detailed information to write our obituaries. So, I wrote a short one for each of us, just in case. Now that was a fun exercise, and the beginning of what could be an heirloom story.

Conversations with other senior citizens reveal that we all have a multitude of interesting and entertaining stories that are waiting and need to be shared. Even if you only write them down in a journal rather than type them, they will be a special treasure for your family after you leave this earth. For those no longer able to write or type, you can use speech to text software that will transcribe the words spoken to typed words.

I can already hear the excuses. You are thinking to yourself that your kids wouldn’t have any interest in my stories. Really? How do you know? A good friend of mine was recently having a conversation with one of her daughters and mentioned the years she had lived in Kansas City. The daughter was shocked; she had no idea of that phase of her mom’s life and what transpired during that time. Much to the surprise of her mother, the daughter was truly interested, wanting to know more.

With resources like Ancestry, people around the world are connecting with relatives they didn’t know they had, and for some it may be the first time they have tried to build a family tree. Ancestry is what led our daughter to ask her dad about her great grandmother, which then led to a story that had more twists and turns than the streets in San Francisco. Your family really does want to know about your life.

My friend Louise left behind her journals, and they are such special treasures for her daughter. The pages of those journals recorded the words in her mom’s delicate handwriting, offering spiritual guidance and discernment. They were stories of her life and relationships. How many of us wish we had something like that from our parents or grandparents? Writings about their inner thoughts and beliefs for us to read and reread over the years.

Words both spoken and written are the fabric of our very existence. Soft fabric woven with both joyous happy experiences intertwined with painful tragic ones. That weave which is the cloth of life contains the spiritual threads, the faith that binds us together.

When we depart from this earth we might give tangible items like china, crystal, lamps or vases to family members. I wish instead I could convince you to leave behind your stories on paper. This would be life changing. Not just for you the writer, but for those in your family who will read your words one day.

This is who we are as we share our thoughts, which are the heritage we have decided to pass down from generation to generation.

I say all of this to encourage you to just start. Take that first step and either buy a journal or open up that blank Word document. Us writers call this “free writing” when you just start typing and you don’t even need to worry about spelling or punctuation. You can deal with all of that later. As the memories and stories of your life, from childhood to your senior years come to the surface, let the words flow from your heart. Write about the good, the bad and everything in between and leave an heirloom.