2014 sure had its ups and downs. One of the downs was the loss of my husband’s grandfather, the second half of a dynamic story-telling duo, along with his grandmother who passed away in 2012.
Fortunately, my husband’s grandmother had taken the time to record memories of their life together, beginning with how they met in the midst of World War II. Later she added another chronicle of her own childhood with information on her husband’s as well.
My husband remarked to me sometime around the funeral that it was hard to imagine that most of the stories of his grandfather’s life would die with him. And we are fortunate to have some of those recorded. My own grandparents more than held their own as story-tellers, yet I have little recorded. How I wish I did.
This thought came back to me again as the rest of 2014 passed. My life, my childhood, my parents and all those around us. Lives being lived out, eventually to be extinguished, and the stories with them.
My family is in the habit of making Christmas lists, and for Christmas this year, my husband put an unusual request on his list – one that went largely ignored. He asked for “your story.” Perhaps family members were puzzled by the meaning of his request, or more likely, swamped with other projects, as December can be the most wonderful time of year, but often the busiest, as well.
With the new year upon us, many bloggers around me are choosing one word to focus their blog, writing and lives on this year. I like this idea, as I always need more focus in my writing (and life.)
My word for 2015 is Story.
As a writer, I’m working on stories every day. This is different. This is a focus on my story, and all the stories that come together to make up my story. These stories are for me, but they’re also for you, for my family, my friends, even those of you who don’t know me. Each week, I’ll be blogging about a few of my stories.
After all, stories are meant to be shared.
Will you consider joining me in 2015 and writing some of your story, too?
Images courtesy of noppasinw, Vlado at FreeDigitalPhotos.net