Treat Yourself to an Unending Vacation

Touching Tomorrow

You are our living link to the past. Tell your grandchildren the story of the struggles waged, at home and abroad. Of sacrifices made for freedom's sake. And tell them your own story as well – because every American has a story to tell.  (Former president George Bush – State of the Union Address, 1990)

It's the Greatest Gift You Can Give!

Treat yourself to an unending vacation … recreating and reliving memories of a lifetime. Learn to draw out the most precious and enduring moments of those you love! You will be unlocking a rich treasure chest of valuable memories containing wisdom, inspiration, humor, and history!

It's simple but not easy. As a society we've grown so out of touch in sharing our feelings and experiences, that no matter how much we would love to share our life story with our family and friends, it just seems like a daunting task… where in the world do you begin? That's where our team comes in… our 7-Magic Steps to Writing Family History makes it as simple as answering a few of our easy interview questions, plugging your photos and videos into super-easy online slide-shows and collages, taking just a few minutes of time here and there.

Ask the questions and the stories come.

Once the stories begin to flow you will find they keep flowing long after you have finished your interview… it's an ongoing journey. Remember, you don't need to be a professional writer – your life experience is more than enough!

Be prepared to find points of resistance. There will be memories your loved one feels uncomfortable sharing and they may even wish to cut a certain topic completely out! That's okay. Reassure your loved one that anything can be edited out and they will be the ones to review the final copy and approve it before it's published. This will give them confidence to keep talking without worrying about what they are sharing.

Don't be concerned about keeping the details 100% accurate. You want the story to flow naturally and if your story is not absolutely chronologically accurate to the month, don't worry … the important thing is to capture the picture and the flavor of the story and how your loved one felt, how they viewed the experience. Structure your interview to make everyone participating feel comfortable and make it fun!

Listening is an Act of Love!

Don't underestimate the power of this interview to bring up memories that may have been buried for decades! Your loved one may be processing the memory for the first time in many years, so it's very important to slow down and listen. Just listen, even if the person you are interviewing becomes emotional or even quiet. They may be attempting to resolve some issues or trying to put pieces together. They may want to stop and savor a particular memory. Plan for extra time and don't hurry. Allow your family time to nourish themselves with these memories, or to purge themselves of difficult recollections.

Hone your listening skills. Learn when to be quiet. Learn when to say things like, "And how did that feel?" "So, knowing what you know now, would you do that again?" "What made you do/say that?" "I noticed you get teary-eyed whenever ____, can you tell me what you are thinking?" "What is a ____ (if it's something you are not familiar with, or you think future generations might not be familiar with it)?" "Why do you think he/she did that?" "How did you feel about that?"

"Memories are All We Really Own" (Elias Lieberman)

You may want to start with a very easy question to warm up with, such as "What is your earliest memory?" Save a special question for the very end. It might be something like, "What message do you have for your family?" or "What do you most want to be remembered for?" You may want to write a "blessing" for each of your children (this is my favorite part)!

As for all the questions in the middle, it would take WAY too much room on this page, so I have created "Easy Interviews to Jump-start Your Story" which will guide you step-by-step through the interview process, making this totally turn-key for you! It will save you hours and hours of preparation and the questions are specially designed to draw out the most precious memories from your loved ones. If you are interviewing yourself, or writing your own life story, this step-by-step, fill-in-the-blank guide will be invaluable in drawing your story out.

Since 1999 Susan McKenzie has been listening to hundreds of people's life stories and the most common response she has received from people is happiness … people feel so happy to talk about themselves and share their stories. The need to be known and understood is a fundamental need all humans experience. 

These valuable life stories are a virtual treasure chest of precious life experiences that need to be preserved for the next generation! Far into the future, the next generation will be able to listen to our voice, watch us on video, and hear our heart song through our written words. 

Through this journey spanning more than a decade Susan discovered many benefits of sharing life stories:

• Honor – people feel honored when we take time to hear their stories.
• Bonding – people feel connected and bonded to their families, groups, organizations when we take time to share our stories.
• The Greatest Gift – preserving our life stories is the greatest gift we can give our children and it's a gift that keeps on giving.
• Security – knowing that your valuable photos, videos,  journals and memorabilia are securely stored.
• Peace – having time to reflect on memories and to resolve outstanding issues.
• Fun – once everyone sees the beautiful family history book you have produced they are going to want to join you in the fun and create one for themselves.
• Save Money – you can do this yourself with our 7-Magic Steps to Writing Family History!

Let's give our children and grandchildren a launching pad to a better future by sharing the valuable life lessons we have learned!