"But I don't have any Stories."

When I go out to teach my Heritage Makers workshops, one of the first questions I ask people is "What do you do with your photos?" Some of the most common responses are, "They're in a box under my bed," "They're on my computer," or "I put them in Scrapbooks." The point here, is that most people have an answer for that question. The next question I ask is "What do you do with your stories?" Most often I get several blank stares, and confused expressions. Some people might say "Nothing," or "I don't have any stories." Then I start with MY confused expression. "What do you mean you don't have any stories?"
I have to wonder how many of you feel that same way. I would like to help you understand just how stories make up the tapestry of your life. Sometimes we feel like there is nothing significant about us, no defining factor that makes us stand out from others around us. Does that mean there is no story? Absolutely Not! Every day that you are living on this earth, and breathing it's air, you are adding pages to your story. It is not yet complete, and maybe the plot is still developing, but you definitely have a story.
If I have convinced you of my point of view thus far, you are likely to have another question. "Who is really going to care about what happens in my life?" Now seriously think abut this for a minute, you're answers will come from the experiences of your own lives. Have you ever lost a family member unexpectedly? Did your grandparents pass on before you were born? What do you really know about those people who made up a significant part of your family history? Many of us even have living relatives that we don't really know that much about. Somehow it seems wrong to ask, or we are not comfortable enough in our relationships with them to be able to learn about their lives and their personal histories. This being said, what do you suppose YOUR posterity might be want to know about you? Wouldn't it be interesting for them to see photos of you as a child? Maybe a snapshot of you at a birthday party, your baptism, the day you got your drivers license? What about family vacations, your wedding day, the birth of your first child? If you don't think any of these things are of interest to anyone, I have to say, respectfully of course, that you are likely wrong.
Sometimes it is overwhelming to think about going back to remember and preserve the past, so I want to encourage you to start where you are. Put into place a system for recording the present. Become a record-keeper from here on out. And then as you become more familiar with the process, you can go back and start writing your own life story. Take pride in the life you have lived thus far, and share the lessons you have learned with your children and grandchildren. PLEASE DONT LET YOUR STORIES GO UNWRITTEN!