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, …
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 …
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 …
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, …
IT’S THE STORY, STUPID Welcome to Sunday Dinner Stories! I’m so glad you are here. The following article is an updated version of my very first article for my eNewsletter/blog. I originally published it in 2013 when I rescinded—I’m not a quitter—my corporate Information Technology (IT) career. This month, I re-launched my website, and this …