The Importance of Writing and Sharing Memories

Tonight we had an enjoyable dinner with Elaine, my step grandmother (on my mom’s side of the family). As we dropped her off at her place, Elaine shared some of her memoirs with us. As part of her foreword, she eloquently describes that these are her memories (whether accurate, they are what she remembers), and her writings are not meant as a history nor to include absolutely everyone nor everything; «a full telling of my life would likely be quite boring.» The two chapters we got to hear, narrated live by the author, are far from boring - her writing is engaging, and her portrayal of her stories evoke emotion and a desire to keep reading. You will read these stories attentively, you will marvel, contemplate, cry, marvel, then cry again. 😂

Elaine wants to share her stories with the world, and I agree - she should. Whether this happens in print, audio, blog, or in other forms, I’ll be glad to read more, and to help her share her well crafted heart-felt collection of memories. Personally I think her narration adds a special flavor and personalization to her memories - audio book time, Elaine!

Elaine also writes about the importance of sharing our memories - things which our family and those close to us may never know, if they are never recorded. Rather than be concerned with the completeness or chronology or perfection of your writing, «just write…» She even dedicates a few pages at the back of her book, as a space to get started writing - these pages contain funny and supportive sayings along the way like «just get started,» «see, you made it this far,» and «see you’ve done it, now get a notebook and keep writing your memories…»

This experience is a great reminder of the value of writing and sharing it. It’s easy to think my writing ay be boring, instead of awesome. Writing thoughts and memories, with no particular end in mind, helps me improve - somehow I had forgotten that. Thanks for the great reminder, Elaine.

This also reminds me that I have recordings from two interview sessions with my grandmother (on my dad’s side of the family) - we are blessed to be able to continue adding to those, if we can convince or trick her into participating.

Have you, written lately…?