Stories In Hand

I just have to tell you about this awesome FREE on-line class I'm taking!

Ok, so I'm taking this on-line class, it's a free class called "Stories in Hand" at http://www.jessicasprague.com on how to write stories...stories of your life, your family's life, those moments from you past that helped make you who you are today...now I always thought I was good at telling stories (no not the kind you "tell" to keep yourself out of trouble, lol ,as I'm really bad at that)...these are the stories of my past...reminiscing about my life to my children...sharing things about myself, my roots, my family background...

Then I realized...like so many things we "tell" each other, not all are remembered a day, a week, a year, a decade from now. I also have to say that this class has helped me think about so many stories I haven't even shared yet...it also made me realize that I have to not only "tell" these stories, I need to put them in writing...

I am so excited about this process that I will be interviewing my dad when I visit him next month (shhhhh...I haven't told him yet, lol) so that I can learn more about him, too. I also hope to learn more about myself through his recollections of stories about me. I'm sure many of the stories he will share with me are stories I've heard before...some I'll remember, and some I'll think I'm hearing for the first time...the difference with this time is that they will be put in writing and this class has given me a huge # of prompting questions to use during the "interview" process;)

I remember thinking many times over the last few years that I wish I had asked my grandparents more about their lives...and now that they have passed on, that chance has passed along with it.

This class has inspired me to start the process with not only my parents, but my kids too. I will have all of my kids AND grandkids together next week for Thanksgiving. I hope to use this time to get them started on documenting their stories...

Even if you have not taken this class (or one similar), this is a great time of year to reflect on all we are thankful for, all the experiences we have had that helped mold us into who we are today, and to hope that our continued journey through life will present new and exciting stories to tell...I encourage you to start telling your stories AND documenting them...trust me, your family will be grateful:)