The Best Christmas Present Ever!

A little over a year ago, my daughter Meghan gave me the best Christmas present I think I have ever received. I'm sure that when I was a kid, I was probably more excited about a few of the gifts that I had been given by my parents. But, Meghan's gift is special. Meghan gave me a one year subscription to a company called StoryWorth. StoryWorth sends you a question once a week by email. Once you get the question, you have a week (or more) to think through your response and to write down your memories. At the end of the annual subscription, StoryWorth collects all 52 of your responses and publishes a book. I hit "send" on my book about 2 weeks ago.

When I got the gift, I was excited about writing down my memories. StoryWorth does a great job of asking questions about your life experiences. They also ask about your parents, grandparents and siblings. I found the process to be a fun way to record my thoughts about all my experiences growing up and continuing into my own family. At first, I was just happy to answer the questions and to have something to write about. But, I soon realized that I was getting a golden opportunity to record some family history. Over time, I started to realize how much I would have enjoyed asking my dad or my grandfather to share their answers to the same questions and I realized I missed an opportunity. Unfortunately, their memories are gone forever.

The StoryWorth process also drew me closer to my mom. I am grateful for this unexpected bonus. I would have to ask mom for help in figuring out some of the details on some of my memories. The process of brainstorming through our shared memories led to some terrific discussions that made the whole StoryWorth process even more rewarding. Thanks for all your help mom! And thanks for all the great conversations about our family!

So, there are 348 shopping days left before Christmas 2022. If you have someone in your life who enjoys writing and you want to document their life story, I can't think of a better present to give to them. In fact, you may not want to wait 348 days - give the gift to them now and let them get started!