Make Your Mother's Dream Come True!
By: Susan McKenzie
Every mother has a dream… do you know what your mother's deepest wish is? What if you could give it to her this Mother's Day?
One of our most basic needs (this runs very deep in all of us) is to be known and understood. In our culture our lives are often so busy we put off doing what is important in the craziness of taking care of what's urgent. But if we stop and listen, we might see the deep needs in our loved one's hearts…
My mom and I began working on her life story book and within a few days I discovered a whole new level of understanding my mother. I could visualize her as a little girl, as a teenager, as a young mom, and at every age. She was so happy that we were bonding more closely than ever before! Having listened to her stories and looked at her photos, there is so much more I understand about my mom and who she is today… even little things, like why there are so many beds in her house!
Born in 1933, she lived through the Great Depression. Her parents divorced and while she was still very young her mother suffered from cancer and died at an early age. My mom's bed was two chairs pushed together and all she remembers well is being very cold. In the family breakup the children were sent off in all different directions and my mom followed her grandmother from Canada to the USA, only the first of many housing changes!
Not having a house of their own, not even a bed to call her own, it was my mother's dream to one day have her own home and family… and she envisioned happy family gatherings, fun-filled holidays, and everyone close together. All my life I have watched my mother working very hard to pull everyone together and making holidays memorable. She is the queen of hospitality! And her house today is full of beds… beds everywhere, so that when we all come home everyone has a place to sleep!
Last summer I made a trip to spend time with my mom and we pulled out all her photos and made digital copies! It brought out so many memories and I learned so many details about my family that I never would have discovered if we hadn't taken that time together.
My mom brought out her treasures… and we took more pictures! She knows I have her story now and she can rest knowing that her valuables (like a 70-year old doll and her clarinet) will be remembered forever.
I am enriched knowing my mom's heart. And this is the substance of "honor". We honor our parents when we take time to listen to their hearts. Honor is more than respect… it's about our heart attitude toward them, whether they deserve respect or not. It's a mother's dream come true. No matter what kind of mother she has been, she needs to be loved, honored, and cherished.
It means listening to her heart… validating her feelings. Honor means meeting their needs. Honor begets honor… and brings blessing and favor into our lives. Honor is so important that it's mentioned by our Creator in the Ten Commandments and is related to a blessed life.
We honor our loved ones with "time" and our "energy". Time + Energy = Money.
So often we will spend our money to send a gift of flowers and a card to our moms on Mother's Day, which is great! And if we are close, we'll take them out to dinner. I've often sent flowers and my mom appreciates every gift.
But I really believe it's the time we have together sharing our hearts that makes her the happiest! It fills that deep need every human being has – to be known, to be cherished, and to be unconditionally accepted.
This year I'm doing something different for my mom and I want to celebrate Mother's Day with a contest and a "Life Story Game"! You are invited to join me in creating a gift that is BETTER than flowers, BETTER than a store-bought card, BETTER than any other gift… it's the gift of really getting to know your mom (or aunt, grandma, spiritual mom, etc).
Let's do this together and I promise it's not going to cost you any more than buying flowers, a card, and going out to dinner! And I also promise the Life Story Game will take just a few minutes of your time each day (or as much as you like!) for the next four weeks… and it will be FUN!!! Get the family together on this… maybe this Easter or Passover, spend a few minutes and plan a "Life Story Game" event at your house!
Here's the Plan:
Register you and your mom (or other family/friends – make it a party!) in the "Life Story Game". You will receive two emails each week for one month. Each email will have a selection of 5-10 life story interview prompts. You and your mom will decide which two questions to answer for that day.
Send the email with your mom's answers to me by hitting "reply". I will collect the data, organize it, design a book, add your photos, send it to you for your approval and/or editing, and then publish it! You can purchase your life story book online and present it to your mom as a Mother's Day gift she will cherish forever!
Okay, now that's 4 questions per week (but you can always do more). You might have a sentence, a paragraph, or several pages – it doesn't matter! You might have just one photo or forty – it doesn't matter!
The important thing is that you are spending TIME and honoring your mother by listening to her heart. You are forming a strong bond and creating memories that will be cherished and nourished every time you look at your gorgeous life story book!
What if your mother has passed away?
A life story book is something that can be done at any time. Better now than later… because our memories are subject to deterioration!
In fact, creating a life story book can be very therapeutic and help to heal your heart and lessen the grief. One pastor friend of mine decided to write a "Tribute" to his father, as part of his own grieving process. With his permission, I created a Life Story Book for him and you can view it here, along with other sample life story books. You'll see that a 28-page book like this one sells for as little as $12.95!
The Life Story Game takes just 5-10 minutes a day and by the end of four weeks you will have all the data you need to publish a small Life Story Book…. this will make an unforgettable gift for your mother this Mother's Day!
I've saved the BEST for last!
Everyone who registers in the "Life Story Game" from today until Mother's Day 2011 will automatically be entered in this contest. The winner will have created the most memorable Life Story Book and will receive a complimentary copy of the Life Story Book they have created!
Remember, I am doing ALL THE WORK for you as far as collecting data, organizing your stories and photos, uploading them to publishing software, designing the pages, and publishing! This frees YOU to do all the FUN stuff, like bonding with your mom!
Are you ready?
Sign up for the "Life Story Game" right now!
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Awesome idea and nice article Susan. Thanks for sharing that. It will definitely make a difference from just buying flowers for mum!
Connecting with family on that level is so wonderful and important. Turning it into a game is brilliant and the price cannot be beat!
Lovely sentiment. No doubt a fine Mother’s Day gift indeed.
What you are offering to Mom’s via their friends and family members is truly a gift of love that cannot be measured in monetary terms…with that being said to have your expertise leading the way at such an amazing price is a blessing no one should take lightly!
Susan, I got goose bumps reading your article today. You hit the “nail on the head” as to what I believe all moms really desire…for their children to know their heart, for them to be able to share from their heart the story of their life. Thank you for reminding every one of us to honor our moms in this way!