April brings spring and Earth Day and we decided it was a good time to share stories from our nature lovers. Whether digging in the dirt as children, camping with their own families as parents, or spending their retirement in the garden, so many of our clients clearly love and appreciate the natural world. Their story is a love letter to family memories and a grateful tribute to Mother Earth. Kathy T. “My father was a Boy Scout and loved the outdoors. He was head of the Mt. Hernon Outing Club and I was often a tagalong. My mother was engaged and playful, tomboyish and physical in nature. They ..read more

March is Women’s History Month, and over the last year, we’ve had the privilege to interview a variety of influential women. From taking care of a lively home, donating to different charities, volunteering their time to vulnerable communities, and taking on the role of mother and grandmother nurturing the next generations, each woman we interview has a story worth celebrating. So many of the women we meet are helpers. They open schools, become pioneers in their chosen careers, and donate money, time, and effort where there is need. Enjoy these stories from recent interviews that capture the im ..read more

I started this business in 2015 and sadly, a part of this job is hearing about former clients passing away. Even though they are not family, it feels a little like losing a relative or good friend. We spend a lot of time together in the process of making these memory books, and they share parts of their lives that perhaps they've never shared before. While I may not remember every detail, I usually remember the moments from project that brought the emotions, either making me laugh with self-deprecation or tearing up at their vulnerability. I'm certainly not their daughter, but I sometimes tak ..read more

The passing of time is a funny thing. We know logically that it marches along at a steady pace, yet some days, weeks, months seem to drag on forever, while others just fly by. Think back to high school, studying for final exams and just wishing for summer. School years seemed to last eons. Other time periods pass at a sprinting pace. Christmas break, for example. Where the heck did that go?   A new year is a great time for reflection. Consider, what parts of this past year seemed to move slowly, and what parts flew by? This is a great question to ask parents or grandparents, too. The cou ..read more

Santa sightings, wish lists, egg nog, spinning dreidels, and lighting the menorah. No matter what you celebrate, this is a special time of year filled with friends and family. Consider your parents' or grandparents' memories of holidays past compared to yours or those of your kids. A lot can change in a few generations! Your grandpa may have been thrilled to find an orange in his stocking. Kids now would wonder what they did wrong to get citrus fruit in their sock. Personally, I remember excitable trips on the train to downtown Chicago to see the window displays outside of Marshall Fields. It ..read more

One thing I've learned in this business is that no matter how much you think you know someone, you always have something new to learn if you just ask the right questions. At a recent interview, a daughter was sitting next to her mom, quietly on call in case she was needed for help with technology, dates, or names. Her mother was sharing stories from childhood, fondly remembering friends on the same block, riding bikes and games of kick-the can, but also how a neighborhood bully targeted her from an early age. Even though the experience was many decades old, the impact was still fresh. Her dau ..read more

At the close of our life story interviews, I like to ask big, reflective questions, which we spent hours working up to and can't be properly answered from the start. One must do the work of life reflection first. A favorite of these big questions is 'Who left the biggest mark? Who has had the biggest impact on your life overall?' Often it's a parent or maybe another relative, such as an aunt, uncle, or cousin. These family figures are born into the role of influence. They don't choose it and let's be honest, some of these people don't rise up to the challenge. If we're lucky, other people ste ..read more

"You own everything that happened to you. Tell your stories. If people wanted you to write warmly about them, they should've behaved better." -Anne Lamott Whenever you set about documenting a life story, it's never just a single person's story. Memories will include parents, siblings, children, friends, and others who intersected in a life, so any given memoir becomes a collection of stories about this mess of people. Some of my clients have no trouble sharing details about the supporting characters in their lives, including the good, the bad, the ugly. Others pause, self-edit, or rethink the ..read more

What makes a memory? I think about this question a lot while helping people capture their life stories. Some clients seem to excel at it, recalling memories from childhood that have probably been told to family members countless times before. They have already done the work of recalling, making sense of it, and then sharing it. Others really struggle, because to them, this is new territory. I love to be there to help them through the process of not only remembering their experiences, but also making connections between their past and their present behavior. Perhaps it's no surprise that Disne ..read more

"I am out with lanterns, looking for myself.” - Emily Dickinson At the surface, a memoir project brings to mind retelling facts of old, a regurgitation of stories that have been told before. But what usually happens in the telling is much more powerful than answering the question of what happened. In the telling, we make meaning. Spending time reflecting on our loved ones' lives creates lightbulb moments a whole family can appreciate and experience. Hearing how Mom or Dad were raised provides context and understanding of their later parenting choices and actions. Life stories also reveal how ..read more