Stories

Stories...everyone has one. Some you're proud of, some you may be ashamed of, and some you don't care about. I'm sure there are a few that slipped through the pages, but every single day we can write one and include it to be a part of a chapter of our book of life.

I think of my friends and what they share, and most often than not, I comment on how they should write a book. My siblings could each draft their own volume in their history with our family. Being the matriarch and patriarch of our clan, my parents could produce a library of life stories. In the past, I jotted down some of their most memorable moments, some about their childhood, my grandparents and great grandparents, how my parents met...I was attracted to their biographies.

My dad turns 88 this year, and my mom turns 81 next week. I'm so very thankful to have my parents alive and well. I'm even more thankful to live close by my parents so we can visit often. However, with aging parents, it's a natural thought that my parents will be on the other side of this earth one day, in heaven. More than the earthly treasures that they may convey to my siblings and me, I desire to have treasures that cannot be purchased with money, their memories. And if I don't document their journey now, I may never have the chance to collect them and pass them on to my children and grandchildren. My parents created a legacy, and it's a high priority to have it imparted to my children and future generations. However, with the many stories and my limited brain space☺, I knew I could lose some of the accuracies, so I started to record their stories on my phone. Not only am I documenting their story, but I also am capturing their voice and their expressions. For my mom's birthday, one of her presents is a voice recorder. Actually, this gift is not a gift for her but for us. I hope to transcribe her stories along with my dad's into a book, too, so we will always have their priceless words for all of our family members to cherish.

During the pandemic, my kids became pen pals with friends from a nearby Jewish nursing home. From the first communication, their new friends openly shared their memoirs. It was so enriching for my kids to glean from their personal narratives. We can learn so much from generations before us and teach generations after us by sharing our stories.

We are all authors of our own stories. Take a minute to share some or write some down. There is a library of books waiting to be discovered inside of each one of us.