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Part of the residential areas, Venice, Italy. (Venice was established around 421 AD)
In places where people have existed for centuries, my thoughts turn to wonder who might have walked these paths or streets, who lived and conducted business in the structures, who loved, raised families, and died. What remains of their experiences, their achievements and failures, and of their dreams? Did they stand on this spot where I’m standing perhaps to wonder about those that came before them? Oh, for a time machine to offer a view into the past.
Our recorded history is but a synopsis of almost infinite events and stories. For each recorded one, millions are lost forever.
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Boat Parking, Venice Resident Area, Italy
My childhood was full of stories. My mother read to me until I learned to read and began to consume books on my own. Reading is still a pleasure and passion of mine. While stories can be educational, entertaining, and wonderful, our personal stories that evolve over out lifetimes sadly often die with us.
When I was growing up, Sundays were times for family and friends to visit. These visits were full of conversations about current news and stories shared remembering people and events from the past. While I don’t remember specifics, I do remember being interested in some of the stories the adults were sharing. This period was also a time of large family reunions. There were three major ones we attended each year, and I believe two of them continue to this day. What I remember about them besides the delicious homemade food that filled large tables with abundance, was all the adults standing around talking about relatives and stories from the past. I now wish I knew more of these stories.
Oral history, the sharing of stories, has long been a way to preserve historical accounts and events. I fear this skill is undervalued these days and may become a lost art in our technological and virtual world where it’s much easier to Google than to ask, listen, and memorize. It’s sad because it’s often in the stories and the telling of them that brings the facts or events to life and giving us a clearer understanding of the person(s) involved. I fear we are losing our personal stories in the noise of our everyday modern lives.
However, recently I’ve been introduced to a unique new way some of our personal stories might be passed down for those interested to know them.
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Fishing Port, San Sebastian, Spain (The first evidence of human stationary presence date from 24,000 to 22,000 BC.)
My daughter and son presented me with a unique gift this past Father’s Day. The idea of this gift originated from my daughter wanting to know and understand more about me and my life. But I believe this gift is going to be a rewarding experience for me as well.
The gift was an enrollment to a website called StoryWorth. From hundreds of StoryWorth offered questions, my kids selected a list of questions for me to answer. One question per week for the next year will be sent to me via email. I’ll respond to the question and return my answer/stories as an email reply attaching any photos I wish to contribute. StoryWorth automatically formats my response and shares them with my children. I can add or edit my answers/stories at any time. At the end of the year, when I’ve answered all the questions, StoryWorth will format everything into a book, and send me a printed bound copy.
I’ve just finished my first question; it was about my childhood and my father. I enjoyed the rewarding challenge of examining those memories and writing my stories, and I’m happy to be able to share them with my children. I think I exceeded my daughter’s initial expectations. She didn’t know I was so wordy. :-)
I’m not affiliated or being rewarded in any form by StoryWorth. If it’s something you think you’d be interested in, you can click the following link for a $10 discount: StoryWorth $10 Discount.
Three photos connect by commonality; ancient places, water, and complimentary orange and cyan color tones.
What a great idea, Earl. I’ll have to coerce my kids into buying a membership for me for my birthday. ;)
So far it seems like a good experience and worthwhile, Tom. There’s also a great deal of configuration you can do to make it fit almost any schedule or need.
I’ve often wondered the same thing when walking through older neighborhoods, particularly when I’ve visited Europe where time stretches back for so so long. In fact, on a much lesser scale, I live in a 125 or so year old house and wonder who might have been here and under what circumstances.
Story Worth sounds interesting indeed. That end of the year book will make an awesome keepsake for your children!
StoryWorth is interesting and I do hope the book will be of value to my children. Of course, I can buy additional books so they each can have one. Have a great weekend, Howard.
This is a really neat idea. I will look into this perhaps for some of my family. I know it is the kind of thing my wife would have loved because she created some things manually like this.
It is a neat idea and I think the process itself will keep my writing and contributing. Have a good weekend, Mark.
I had not heard of this site before but what an excellent idea. I can think of several people I know who have done this sort of thing laboriously using all kinds of other software and never being really satisfied, but this seems far easier with the added bonus of being prompted with specific topics to address. I must say, it’s very nice of your children to give you all this work to do over the next year but I have a feeling you will enjoy it greatly ;)
I’d never heard of this site before either, Cedric. My daughter always comes up with some unique gift ideas. Thanks and have a great weekend.
I had never heard of this site and think it is a wonderful idea. A few years ago my oldest daughter gave me a book that was about my dad’s legacy and was full of questions for me to write on. It started me writing my own stories using some of the questions from the book by using Blurb, but that could be any such application. It has been fun to reflect back on memories. I mean how often do we remember our first kiss? It has also inspired me to ask questions of my dad, since I’m lucky enough to have that chance. This is really kool!
Yeah, I thought it was kool to, Monte. They make it easy to respond and add stories. I’ll get my second question tomorrow.