An Opportunity To Share Your Memories

My friend, Tom Mach, is looking for some memories. Yours! Tom's website, appropriately titled Memories Are Forever, features a new story every month. He's putting out a call for submissions for all writers and those who aren't writers but have memories to share.

The featured story may very well also end up being published in print in the The Kaw Valley Senior Monthly newspaper which is distributed in the Topeka and Lawrence, KS area. My story Memories of My Chicago Childhood appears in both places this month. There is no pay involved but it is an opportunity to be published, both online and in print. All stories are not accepted. The editor will make the decision as to which stories will be featured.

Go to the home page of the Memories Are Forever website to get an idea of what Tom is looking for. The submission guidelines are found on the home page, as well. Remember to follow the few simple guidelines for the best chance of acceptance. 700 words or less, a photo that might illustrate the memory or show you at the age when the event took place. Include your full name, city and state. It's all pretty simple but always do a checklist before sending any submission. Ask yourself Did I.....? for each point in the guidelines. Tom may edit your story but only to make it more readable. 

You might be wondering who this Tom Mach is. Go to this page to learn more about this fine author. He's written 6 books, 3 of them form a trilogy that has received excellent reviews and some awards. He's also a short story writer and a poet. 

This memory website is relatively new so a general call for submissions is out. Need a few memory triggers to help you come up with a 700 word memory story? Here are just a few:

1. What was the worst day of your grade school years?

2. What kind of person was your favorite teacher?

3. How did you fool someone on April Fool's Day?

4. What was your town known for?

5. What happened in your growing-up years that you are most proud of? Most ashamed of?

6. What Thanksgiving or Christmas celebration stands out in your mind? 

Tom Mach's Historical Trilogy

Memories Are For Sharing

Something good happens in your life and you savor the moment. Something humorous occurs and you mark it as never-to-be-forgotten. A tragedy or other sad event changes you in many ways. All of these happenings eventually become memories. Some are to be treasured, some laughed over and others are bittersweet, leaving you with a return of tears or heartache. It's alright. No one has all happiness and hilarity in their life. 

Dr. Seuss's quote is pretty accurate. When those memorable moments pass through our life, we aren't considering them as a memory to hang onto forever. But the things that stay with us months and years down the road of life become our memories. I'm a firm believer that memories are for sharing.

Share your memories with your children and grandchildren, your siblings, you parents and good friends. I once told my mother about a memory that had haunted me for over ten years of my childhood. It astonished her when the story surfaced, but it was a memory of mine that she needed to know. After a bit of anger and a few tears on both sides, that memory brought us closer together as mother and daughter. 

It wasn't enough that I shared my memory verbally. It needed to be written so that the younger members of my family would someday learn what had happened. Not that it would alter their lives in any way, but it might be a piece of the puzzle of a life of someone they are related to. Me! I admit that it took decades before I did write about a giant lie I told as a child--a great big lie that led to more lies and upset my parents for a very long time. The story is now written and in my Memory Book. 

I've written about the embarassing or funny moments like the time I cooked a big Thanksgiving dinner and miscalculated the timing on the turkey. Rare beef is good but doesn't work with turkey.  I still get teased about that one. I've written about the heartaches involved with the loss of two of our infant children. Stories that needed to be kept for our family and maybe to help others who have walked a similar path. 

When my family sifts through my Memory Book, they will learn things about my life before and after they were a part of it. They'll learn about my friends, my thoughts and feelings. They'll see a different way of life in my childhood than their own. They'll learn about family members on both sides and generations back.

Yes, memories are for sharing. Are you writing yours? Do you share them with the ones you love? If you haven't done it yet, there's no time like the present for taking that first step.