Moments Become Memories to Write About

I like this quote from Dr. Seuss. It bears reading more than once. "Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory." How many moments in our lives do become memories?

I have been asked more than once how I can remember and write about incidents in my childhood. Maybe I'm blessed with an excellent memory, or, more likely, I remember the parts of my life that greatly impressed me. 

When I think back to my childhood, I see the places, the people, and even some conversations very clearly. I feel very fortunate in being able to do so, as it has acted as inspiration for many of the stories I've written about my family. And now, for my present day family. 

Some things in life act as triggers for our memories. Smells will do it for many. When you get a whiff of cinnamon, it could take you back to your grandmother's kitchen and the cinnamon rolls she was known for. Smell chlorine at a pool today, and it may bring memories of your long-ago neighborhood pool and all the kids you knew there. What if something scary happened at the pool? Smelling chlorine could easily bring back the uneasy memory. 

Taste is a sense that can trigger a memory. I once used a vile tasting cough syrup when I had the flu. One taste sent me traveling back to the small apartment where I grew up and my mother insisting I take the cough syrup on the spoon she was holding close to my mouth. It smelled awful and tasted even worse. I resisted, but she won.

Other things trigger our memories--a photo, a certain kind of tree, the sound of church bells and more. 

When our memories come back to us from those special moments we experienced, as writers, we need to act. A story idea has been given to us, so it's time to write the story. Write it for your Family Stories book, write it to submit for publication. Write it to keep that memory alive. 

When sending a note of sympathy to a grieving family member or friend, I often add in my note on the card a simple sentence:  Treasure the memories. I believe that the many memories we have of a family member or friend truly are treasures. Have you ever been asked to write a eulogy? So many memories are recalled and shared with others. What a wonderful way to help us honor and remember the deceased person. 

One  moment which became a special memory for me. When our first grandchild was born, we went to the hospital to see her. I picked her up and held her close. I looked down at that sweet little face, and my prevailing thought was 'this is the child of my child.' I was nearly overcome with emotion as I stood there cradling our granddaughter. The very emotional moment remains a treasured memory for me, even 25 years later. 

Enjoy the moments that become memories. Better yet, write about them in a journal or a story or a memoir piece. Capture them for posterity and perhaps for readers near and far. 

A writer friend is celebrating the publication on October 24th of her memoir about growing up mid-century. Her book is filled with those moments that turned into special memories. Ann Vigola Anderson's Posts of a Mid-Century Kid might trigger a few special memories of your own. Find her book at Amazon.

 

Inspiration To Write In February

It's Friday but also the first day of February, so Happy Friday and Happy February! This is the shortest month of the year but it has several notable days:  Groundhog Day, Valentine's Day, and President's Day. In my childhood years, we celebrated the birthdays of two presidents. Abraham Lincoln on February 12th and George Washington on February 22nd. Now, it's one day for all presidents. 

My son and his oldest daughter both have birthdays in February, so I add two more special days to this month. 

Memories are triggered for me by each of these days. Those memories can easily lead to a story to write. It might be one to add to my Family Stories book or a story for a magazine or anthology. Here are a few of the memories that came to me as I wrote those special February days above:

• the movie--Groundhog Day
• groundhogs in the zoo
• a Valentine box my dad made for me when I was 7
• Valentine parties in grade school
• learning about Abe Lincoln in school
• hearing a favorite senator deliver a Lincoln Day speech
• learning about George Washington--especially the cherry tree story 
• the day my son was born
• waiting for my first granddaughter to be born

Make your own memories list for the days in February that have some special meaning for you. That list has suggestions for new stories to write. Jack London's famous quote comes to mind:  You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club. I agree. We can't sit in a chair and wait for bright lights and shining stars to explode above our heads. We have to go after inspiration in a variety of ways. 

The exercise here is only one way to find inspiration. Get out of the house. Take a walk. Visit a shopping mall. Sit in a waiting room at a Dr's office or train station or wherever you'll find people. Watching and listening can bring inspiration if you do so with a writer's eye. Go to a concert. (Yes, an entire story came into my mind as I listened to the classical music of a symphony orchestra one evening) You have to go after it, not wait for inspiration to come to you all wrapped in pink paper and a pretty bow. 

A Photo Journal of May

As we begin a new month, today's post is a short photo journal of the many things we celebrate this next 31 days. Use these memory triggers to write another family story or two or three to add to your Family Memories Book. Or maybe you don't have one yet. This is the perfect time to begin!

May Basket

Today is May Day. It's not celebrated now as much as it once was. In my grade school days, teachers had us make May baskets of various kinds that we then filled with flowers or candy to present to others. Even when my children were small, the neighborhood kids made constrcution paper cones, stapled a handle on it and filled with candies. Then, they'd run onto a porch and hang their offering on the door handle, ring the bell and run away as fast as they could. What fun they had!

Dancing Around the Maypole

Dancing around a maypole started back in the 14th century as a pagan ritual. It somehow survived but with some adaptations, becoming less pagan and more a celebration of spring. I remember reading about this custom when I was just a young girl and thinking how exciting it would be to hold onto a colorful ribbon and dance my way around the center pole with other girls. The closest I ever got was the High Flyers playground equipment. No ribbons but I thought of the maypole at tiems when I ran fast and grabbed hold of ond of the handles and lifted my feet while I went round and round the pole in the center. I haven't seen a playground with a High Flyer on it for a long time. Must have been deemed too dangerous. Maybe, but it sure was fun!

Mother's Day

We also celebrate Mother's Day in May. Hallmark and other greeting card companies sell a zillion cards in May. Telephone lines are buzzing on the second Sunday in May. Families gather in restaurants to give Mom a break from cooking. Children make gifts in school to bring to Mom. One of my fondest memories is of my son bringing me a small paper cup with a tiny green plant imbedded in soil. He must have been in second or third grade. I think the paper cup had been decorated with crayons. He carried it carefully into the house on the Friday before Mother's Day and handed it to me, his eyes shining. I have no green thumb. Every houseplant I've ever had gasps and dies not too long after coming into my possession. When I saw the plant, I thought it would never survive til Father's Day! But that tiny piece of Swedish Ivy lived and grew in my house for more than 30 years after it was given to me with love from my son. It ranks as #1 in favorite Mother's Day gifts.

May Birthdays

In our extended family, May is a big month for birthdays, my own included. I've always been happy to celebrate my birthday in May. It's a lovely month. Even the northern states have better weather this month. We celebrate birthdays with cake and candles, gaily wrapped gifts and greeting cards along with family gatherings. 

Many graduations take place in May, earlier than those of yesteryear. One more thing to celebrate in this month of May. The recognition of years of work as diplomas and degrees are conferred upon the graduates while their familes and friends watch. Another joyous May occasion.

Honor Those Who Served

Finally, we celebrate Memorial Day on the last Monday of May. We pause to remember those who served and lost their lives while doing so. Ceremonies abound in our entire country on that day. It has also become a time when familes visit cemeteries where loved ones are buried. They place flowers on graves, pause and remember. Others fly the American flag on this day as a sign of remembrance. 

Lots To Write About In November

Here we are in the first full week of November. Look at all the things that happen this month! Only yesterday, most of us set our clocks back an hour. No extra hour of sleep for me because I woke up at the old time. Hopefully, that won't be the case in a few days. 

Tomorrow is Election Day when we all have an opportunity to voice our opinions through our vote. This year has been one of hotly contested races. Mud-slinging tactics on both sides. That doesn't seem the best way to get votes. Back in the early fifties, our junior high class held elections for class officers. It was a good way to learn about our election process. I ran for Secretary. Of course! Why? Because in those days girls were secretaries and boys ran for the other positions. We learned about campaigning, the voting process, and more. The one thing that stayed with me was that we were taught not to put the other candidate down. I can hear Miss Stange saying, "Tell your audience why you are the best candidate. Don't say anything negative about the other candidate. Sell yourself." Poor woman must be rolling in her grave at the way elections have changed over the years. Even so, I will vote and I hope each of you will do so, too. It's a privilege we should never take for granted. 

Later in the month, we'll honor our veterans with parades, news articles, interviews on TV news shows and military ceremonies for service given. If you see a veteran or someone in the military now, be the one who steps up and thanks them for their service. It's not always easy to go up to a stranger and say what's in your heart. If you can do it, you may make that person's day. On November 11th, our entire nation should give thanks for our veterans and military personnel.

On the 27th, families all over the USA will gather to give thanks and to partake of the Thanksgiving feast. Traditional foods will be prepared and enjoyed from east coast to west coast and from the Canadian border to the Mexican border. Turkeys and pumpkin pies and more will grace dining tables in homes and restaurants, in church basements and missions. It's one holiday that people of all religions in our country can celebrate. 

Our daughter's birthday falls on Thanksgivng Day this year. We'll have birthday cake along with the pumpkin pie. Her children will help her blow out the candles after we sing Happy Birthday. You can read a story I wrote 6 years ago about the Thanksgiving week she was born here. 

November probably brings various memories to many of us. Surely, some of these special times this month will trigger something for you to write about. When the memory comes floating out of the past, don't ignore it. Do something with it. Write the story, poem or personal essay. 

Use Memory Triggers To Write Family Stories

Last evening, I gave a program for a womens group at our church. "Remembering Our Grandparents" was the title I selected. Since Grandparents Day was Sunday, I thought it might be nice to honor and remember our grandparents.

My aim was to trigger some memories for the women who attended in hopes that they might start writing some of the family stories about their grandparents.

I read two of my stories about my grandparents and one about my dad as a grandparent. In-between the stories, I asked people in the audience to tell us a short anecdote or memory they had of a grandparent. What interesting stories we heard! At the end of the program, I challenged them to go home and write the stories they'd told this evening so that their own children and grandchildren would have them forever.

Many of the storytellers, and the stories I read, triggered memories for others. I have a feeling some of the ladies will go home and think about many other things that happened when they visited a grandparent or the grandmother came to see them or when Grandpa took them to town for ice cream.

Here are are few questions that might trigger memories of your own grandparents. Be sure to include your grandparents in your Family Memories Book.

1. What did your grandmother/grandfather look like?

2. Did any of your grandparents speak another language?

3.  Did your grandparents live near your family or far away?

4.  Were your grandparents a part of your life or did you see them only occasionally?

5.  Did your grandparents let you get away with more than your parents did, or were they strict?

6.  Did your grandparents have a sense of humor?

7.  What was the worst thing you ever did at your grandparents' home?

8.  What did your grandmother/grandfather cook that you especially loved?

9.. Did your grandparents take you to church?

10. Did your grandparents come to see you perform in sports or drama or musical events?

11. Did your grandmother/grandfather ever punish your?

12. Did you learn any life lessons from your grandparents?

Memories of June--Roses, Graduations, Weddings and More

We're well into the month of June. An entire week has gone by already. Today, I'm going to help you trigger a few memories about the month of June in your growing-up years, maybe your early adult life and beyond. Why? Of course you know why. It's to motivate you to add to your Family Memory Book. 

Only yesterday, a dear writer friend whose health is keeping her housebound now, wrote to me and sent me a few of the memory pieces she's writing so that her children and grandchildren will have a record of some of the decisions she's made and why she made them, some of the stories about her early life, her reactions to current events of the day and those behind. It's a veritable treasure chest she's leaving for her family. 

But back to June. What kind of things do you remember about June where you lived?

1.  What was the weather like?

2.  What flowers bloomed in June? Did you have roses in your yard?

3.  Were you still in school in June? What kind of end of the school year activities did you have?

4.  Did you play in any organized sports that began in June?

5.  What kinds of foods did your mom make to begin the summer?

6.  Were there June weddings in your family?

7.  Did you recognize and commemorate D-Day on the 6th of June?

8.  What activities did you and your siblings/friends like to do in June?

9.  Graduation often fell in June in years past--what graduation memories do you have?

As for me--school was never out until the end of the first week of June or even into the second week. I remember the teachers putting us all to work cleaning our classroom, going through cupboards and our desks, sorting things out for her and for ourselves. By the final day, our classroom looked neat and clean, ready for the next class to come in September. I think of June as good-bye time, as we said good-bye to our teachers and some of our classmates whom we would not see over the summer. My 8th grade graduation is so clear to me. I went to the same school from kindergarten through 8th grade with basically all the same kids. We had two classes of every grade, about 42 students combined. We girls made our graduation dresses in our 8th grade Home Economics class. Mine was pale pink with a Peter Pan collar, turned-up cap sleeves and a full circle skirt. It was 1953 when those full skirts and cinched in waists were in vogue. I remember hand hemming that full skirt, thinking I'd never reach the end. My mother agreed to let me buy a pair of white leather pumps to wear with the dress--my first high heels! What a thrill that was. My fifth and sixth grade teacher came to our graduation. Mr. Biddinger was our first male teacher in our school and dearly loved, and we were his first class. After the ceremony, he congratulated me and said, "Nancy, you walked better in your heels than any of the other girls." His comment meant so much to me then and it still does today. I have many more June memories which are going into my Memory Book. 

I posted a story about my wedding memories at Our Echo 3 years ago. You can read it here if you are curious. Then get started on your own memories.

October Memories

Have you added any stories to your Memory Book for the month of October? We're nearing the halfway mark of the month, so it's time to get busy if you haven't done so already. The poster above offers some good triggers for your memories.

What was life like during your childhood years during October? What kind of decorations and bulletin board topics did your teachers use? Did your mom start pulling out warmer clothes for everyone? Did you live in a part of the country where raking leaves was a big part of October?

Did your mom make pumpkin pies only in the fall, or other parts of the year, too? What did your scout troops do in October? How did the weather differ from other months? Halloween memories come into play this month, too.

As for me, October brings back memories of seeing huge piles of leaves that people had raked. Many made smaller piles and put them in the gutter area of the street, then burned them. Forbidden in most places today, but the smell of smoldering leaves figures into my October memories. Because we lived in a large apartment building, which had more concrete than grass and trees, I never had the experience of raking leaves or jumping in a big pile of them. But I watched it all on my way to and from school on October days.

I also remember my Girl Scout troop going to one of the Chicago Forest Preserves every October. All the city sounds and hustle bustle disappeared as we hiked the trails, identified trees and plant life, roasted hot dogs and marshmallows over an open fire. It was often chilly and damp on those outings, but we didn't mind. The chance to be in a natural environment was a thrill for kids raised in a city atmosphere.

Our teachers used a theme of colored leaves when decorating bulletin boards or doing art projects. My mother often started October by baking a pumpkin pie. She topped each piece with a huge dollop of real whipped cream. Cool Whip had not come along yet. Homemade soups and even Campbell's soups appeared with the cooler temps, and we started wearing our flannel pajamas to bed.

Halloween brought a school parade of kids in a variety of costumes, most of them put together at home, not purchased in a store like today. Then each class had a Halloween party where we played games like Bobbing for Apples, then ate our share and more of sweet treats. All to be followed by neighborhood Trick or Treat time.

Do your family a favor and write about life in October before we have to turn the calendar page to November. There are lots more things to write for that month.

Christmas Letter Or A Trigger?

The Christmas letters are coming in at a rapid pace. Several days ago, I gave a few guidelines in writing a Christmas letter to enclose in your greeting cards to old friends and far-away family. 

As I read a letter yesterday, something occurred to me. The person who sent the letter had been a neighbor when my children were growing up. She had two girls who were close friends of my daughter, so the girls were back and forth between houses all the time. We had other things in common, as well. 

Reading about her family and what she's doing now triggered a lot of old memories.

I thought about the many times those three little girls played Little House On The Prairie. For hours! Or how they made clothes for their Barbie dolls, helped me bake cookies and squealed with delight while playing a game. 

Memories! They're what you need for some of those Chicken Soup or other creative nonfiction stories. It's far too busy to write the stories now, but you can keep a list of those memories triggered by what you find in the Christmas letters. Then, in January, you can start workiong on those stories. It's the perfect inspiration. Don't pass up this golden opportunity. 

Take Advantage of Weather

We're having a siege of rainy days in Kansas. Just now, thunder rumbled and I can hear the rain as it swirls down the drainpipe of our house. I can't take my walk this morning, but I can take advantage of what the rainstorm offers.

It's the perfect time to write descriptive phrases and paragraphs about a rainy day. It's the best time ever to write about the way the lightning cracks and thunder rolls across the gray skies. What better time to write about something but when it's actually happening.

On stormy days like this, write about a memory you have of another stormy day. Long ago, when my now 56 year old brother was about 4, we had a summer storm and I didn't know where he'd disappeared. After looking around the house, I found him in my parents' bedroom, standing at the window. He was talking to God, telling him that all that noise scared little boys and could He please make it stop. He was so earnest and also frightened of the storm that my heart went out to him. I was 20--yes, there are 16 years between us as well as two other brothers sandwiched in-between--so I scooped him into my arms and tried to reassure him about our need for rain and more--anything I could think of to soothe him. I have often thought of that moment on stormy days, and someday it may end up in a story.

So, take advantage of the weather you're having, if it's rain, or snow, or spectacular sunshine and blue skies. No better time to write about the weather than when you're experiencing it. If the weather predictions hold true, it looks like I might be writing about rain for at least another 6 days!

Write Your March Memories

We're already nine days into March. Have you written your March Memories for the Monthly Memory Book we've talked about here? Having trouble getting started?

Sit down with a cup of coffee or tea or go out for a walk on one of these more-moderate days we're having and delve back into your childhood. Think about the things your family did in March. Things that happened at school every March. Things you and your best friend did every March. Start writing those memories. One memory often triggers another and another and there you are---a whole lot to write about the month of March.

Your children and grandchildren will have a record of what that month was like as you grew up. Keeping these memories in a notebook in order of the months will end the year with a treasure trove for your family. Besides that, it's kind of fun to revisit those long-ago days, even if it is only through memories. It might move yo to write a letter to an old friend who shared those days with you.

Memory Triggers for March:
1.  What kind of bulletin board displays did your teachers use? March winds--St. Patrick's Day--Early Srping
2.  How did your family celebrate St. Patrick's Day?
3.  What special foods did your mother prepare in March?
4.  What was the weather like where you lived?
5.  What Easter memories do you have?
6.  Did your scout troop or 4-H club or some other group have something special in March?
7. Were you starting to count the days until summer vacation from school arrived?
8.  Was wind a factor in March where you lived?
9.  Did you have March snowstorms?
10.  Did you rejoice when seeing the first spring flowers?
11.  Were kites a part of March for you?