If you met my father, within five minutes he would be telling you a story. He’s that kind of a person – curious, smart and memorable.
Whenever I saw him or we spoke on the phone, he would tell me stories. As I grew older I realized how precious these stories were. And yes, how precious he is to me. On his 70th birthday I gave him a gift certificate and embarked on a life changing project. The seed for Visual Life Stories was planted.
Every family has stories and not everyone in the family knows them. Sure there may be stories best left alone but some stories are worth saving and sharing. Even though my dad had been telling me stories for years, once we got serious about collecting these memories, more stories came out that I had never heard. Life has a funny way of doing that, the more you talk about who you are, the more there is to share.
The season of gathering together has begun and so the opportunity is ripe to sit down with a cup of tea or glass of scotch and get curious. Be sure to ask questions that can’t be answered with a plain old yes or no. Sometimes you need to encourage people along with their storytelling especially if they haven’t recently talked about life “back in the day”.
Collecting the memories of someone precious to you is one of the greatest gifts you can give. You honour their spirit and life. The uninterrupted telling of one’s story is a powerful and healing adventure.
Come together as a family and give a gift will be treasured now and by future generations. Contact us for information about gift certificates.
Since my dad and I lived 3,000 km apart, we would schedule time to talk on the phone. We started at the beginning in 1932 and worked our way up to the present. In the end there were so many stories that the original is 11′ long. Reduced size copies were made and shared with his brothers and my siblings. You can see other final product options on our new What You Get page on the website.
Stories matter. As Graphic Journalists, we can help you collect memories and create a story people will love to see. Or if you want to create your own, join us at Panorama Recreation Centre for a six week course called Create Your Own Visual Life Story, starting in late January.
Happy Holidays to you and yours. Thank you for taking the time to look to my stories – I really appreciate it.
Feeling blesssed to always have a pen nearby,Deborah
