Have you asked a loved one about their stories; ones you can cherish?

We are now coming out of the pandemic and can once again visit with friends and family. I wanted to repost this edited blog post and encourage people to ask about the stories. In today’s world of challenges, it would be good to get the perspective of those who lived in times of challenge and how things changed either for the better or worse.

We are experiencing the tragedy in Ukraine, the political fallout related to January 6th insurrection, and the Supreme Court rulings. It starts to make your head spin. But these are the stories of today. What were the stories from years past?

We had the Rodney King beating and the riots that followed in LA. We had Chicago burning years prior. We had Watergate, we had Ollie North, there were four students killed at Kent State for protesting the Vietnam War and so many other events that were etched in the mind of many. Yet, we often forget the past.

Hearing the stories

According to the developers of Stories To Cherish their research showed that the quality of a conversation is what matters most. So many times we just idly chatter away and never hear the important stories.

Ignite a meaningful conversation

What does this mean? First, have you asked your family and loved ones about their experiences growing up, or what they are proud of? Older individuals often have rich experiences that we may not be aware of or ever talked about. These experiences could include living through the depression, living through or actually being in a war, and even the experience of the emergence of new technologies ranging from the introduction of TV to the internet and social media. Wouldn’t it be interesting to learn more about those life experiences? You can and here’s how.

The team at Stories To Cherish has created a toolkit with a set of tools that can be used to encourage someone to share a story from their life. An example is below.

An example from the Conversational Card Deck

These conversational card deck starters can be used when you are talking to a loved one, hopefully in person. If you are fortunate enough to be in person, you can ask them and even better record their answer. You could even provide a card or two and ask your loved one to write the answer and begin to build a memory book. Even if someone you love is in a care facility, the tools can be used by the staff to provide a connection back to the family. Again, they could be recorded. The toolkit and conversational card deck are easy to download at Stories To Cherish

These helpful tools will help you learn the rich stories you may have been missing – and they are FREE.

Share the Stories – Remember the 1984 Macintosh Superbowl Commercial?

Your family will want to hear the stories, friends will want to hear the stories. You can even start building and creating your own stories that you can give to those you love. Remember the 1984 Apple Macintosh commercial played only once during the Superbowl? If you want to relive that infamous commercial HERE IT IS.

Sharing the memories

Sandi Feaster