STORIES REMIND US OF OUR HUMANITY Humans Helping Humans Stories of humans helping humans have brought me to tears more than once this week. What is it about acts of kindness, courage, or unselfishness that evoke such profound emotion? Hurricane Harvey’s devastation in Texas has brought much of our country back to basics. As we …
I HAVEN’T HEARD THAT ONE BEFORE Deeper Connections Whether you see your parents and grandparents every day or talk to them once a month, I guarantee they have a story you haven’t heard yet. Sometimes, you know the story exists. These stories are often traumatic such as living through the Holocaust, fighting in a war, …
Subscribe Now 4 EDITING HACKS I LEARNED FROM STEPHEN KING Editing for Your Audience Let’s be honest. The editing process is not as fun as the initial storytelling process. Editing requires that you read your writing with fresh eyes, pull out your red pen machete, and start hacking away at superfluous details, tangents, and parts …
Subscribe Now 9 THRILLING MEMOIR TIPS I LEARNED FROM STEPHEN KING What We Can Learn from Novel Writers I don’t read many thrillers, but I have seen a few Stephen King movies. I remember how Misery made my ankles hurt and The Green Mile made me cry. Perhaps my favorite Stephen King story, however, is …
DO YOU SAY, “THANK YOU AND WELCOME HOME” OFTEN ENOUGH? Thank You for Your Service and Welcome Home A few years ago I attended a presentation by a personal history colleague and mentor Mary O’Brien-Tyrrell. She served in Vietnam as a nurse, and during her talk, she described the mood of the country when she …
4 TIPS TO RECALL IT ALL Don’t Jump to Conclusions Do you ever find yourself walking into a room only to forget why you made the effort? Do you forget someone’s name, even though you know the person well? Are there days when you fear you’ll forget to pick your child up from an activity? …
YOUR MOTHER’S STORY IS AS ORDINARY AS SEA GLASS A humble gem My cousin collects sea glass—shards of ordinary glass bottles discarded without a thought that eventually wash up on shore. The waves and glass wrestle in the world’s infinite rock tumbler. Eventually, the glass submits and a polite dance begins—back and forth, back and …
WHAT SHOULD I DO WITH MY LIFE? Is This All There Is? Last month during the better part of a weekend, I attended a Life Calling Workshop hosted by our church. Scott and Louise Walker from Life/Work Direction, a non-profit organization, created and led the workshop. Although the workshop is faith based, everyone can benefit …
5 STEPS TO IDENTIFY AND SHARE YOUR FAMILY VALUES Shared Values Years ago, I worked for MBNA America, an extraordinary organization. If you found yourself in an MBNA facility, you knew their values. You knew exactly what was important to MBNA’s leaders. The overarching value—THINK OF YOURSELF AS A CUSTOMER—was displayed above every single …
HOW A FAMILY TIMELINE CAN JUMPSTART YOUR LIFE STORY PROJECT The Emergency Homework Interruption It was 3:30 on a Tuesday afternoon. My two beautiful children had just returned home from school. They independently initiated their afternoon routine—snack, pet, homework. With laser focus, I attempted to concentrate on a continuing education class via telephone. Within minutes, …