I am remembering my grandfathers and uncle who served in the Navy, for my uncle and aunt who served in the Air Force, but I don’t know much of their military history. So today, I’m going to start by asking these questions of family members who may know – and spark a conversation: 

• Tell me about their service history, why did they join? 

• Where did they travel to during their service? 

• And what were the stories that changed them they told?

Today, I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for this day and for the servicemen and women who serve and sacrifice for our freedom. I’m thankful to be in a community that still honors, and I’m grateful and I’m excited to begin this journey of remembrance.

Unsure if this was in About or where it appeared, maybe in the above??: 

"Without memory, there is no culture. Without memory there would be no civilization, no future."

– Elie Wiesel

The essence is this: Why do we wait to share the details of someone’s life and how much they meant to us until we are eulogizing them?

By doing this we are leaving words unspoken and missing out on an incredible opportunity for connection. We are missing out on allowing them to feel loved and appreciated, for giving them the chance to tell their story, to help them articulate how they want to be remembered, share their legacy.

One way we can help is by actively taking the time to connect and to express gratitude, by sharing memories and the impact they’ve had in our lives, of specific words they said or acts they did.  And so, as a means to help me to stay true to my goal of doing just this, I am (finally!) beginning this blog with the intention of helping others capture and share family history and memories and to keep myself honest and on task too.

The goal (for now) is weekly, short but thought-provoking action steps to take to begin to capture and share with loved ones who are still here, and for those who are no longer with us, to keep memories alive and share them with family, friends and generations to come. My sincere hope is that by starting this, others will join in and share, and it will spark a community who can this will spark a forum for readers to also share - tips and tricks, software, and heart felt anecdotes. Because we all want to know that we mattered, that we made a difference, and this is one way we can help those around us know how they have.