When you get to be my age, you start thinking about writing memories and sharing old photos that could inspire future generations, as well as sharing stories and wisdom passed down from previous generations. While I haven’t quite hit retirement age (that’ll be soon), I want to start writing things down now, before I forget.
This is a place where I will share about family members I grew up with, those who are no longer living. (I’ll be careful to protect the privacy of those still living.) I hope to give a glimpse of who they were, their daily life, their dreams, ordinary moments, and nuggets of wisdom they imparted. I will also share my own memories of life in the different decades I’ve experienced, knowing I’ve aged enough that part of my life is distant history now.
I hope to share through stories, photos, historical events, decade lore, topics like music, pets, hobbies, and responding to different prompts and questions I might be asked.
Why do I want to do this? First of all, I love being able to share these memories. I’ve been surrounded by wonderful people all my life and have experienced some interesting moments. Maybe the sharing of these memories will encourage others, either to share their own memories or to create new ones.
As someone who loves genealogy, I’ve often wished I had more photos and tidbits from daily life of people who came before me. I’d like to provide what I can for those who will come after us.
I also love history. The chance to share some personal and family history will bring me joy. I’m looking forward to exploring and reflecting on things our family has experienced. I hope as you read something here, you will also be inspired to be fully present in your own current history, interacting with interesting people you meet, and making the most of every opportunity to explore life.
Whatever history is shared here will be expressed through my own eyes, ears, heart, mind. It’ll be how I experienced things, how I interacted with family, or how I heard stories they shared with me, filtered through my own personality and whatever my age was at the time. For the generations that come after me, it’ll be a glimpse into daily life and experiences that are in the past, but still live on in my mind, while I’m young enough to remember and share.
If you’re reading this and thinking you’d like to write something similar, I encourage you to do it. I wish I had more family history that had been written out by people who came before me. Of course, they didn’t have the benefit of blogging that we have today. But if they did, I really would have treasured their words, photos, and reflections. So, if you feel inspired to do this for your family’s sake, I encourage you to go for it. Someone, somewhere along your family line will be grateful for what you share.
When I first begin writing here, I’m sure I will be all over the map. I’ll start off with memories of a few people in my family. At some point, I’ll add pieces of earlier decades and life moments as I feel inspired. As I continue to share things that come to mind, like pieces of a puzzle, I’m sure some sort of picture will emerge. I’ll try to organize this collection as I go along, so folks can easily find what they’re looking for.
Thanks so much for stopping by. If you are part of our family tree, I hope the pages that emerge here will give you the chance to “meet” some really cool people I had the privilege to know in some regard, people who are perhaps distantly related to you. Maybe you’ll even recognize some similarities or common themes that resonate in your own life. Sometimes it’s encouraging to know that a distant relative you never met would have been delighted and proud to know you. I hope that will come across through these stories as well and bring a feeling of belonging and well-being.
If you have questions about decades that I lived in, that are historical for you, ask me any questions you want. I’ll try to respond through things I write here. Of course, my firsthand experience is only in the decades I lived in, but I’m also glad to share anything I’ve been told about my parents’ and grandparents’ decades as well. It won’t have that firsthand feel, but it may feel closer than a classroom history textbook because it comes from their real life and what I felt and saw as they talked about their experiences.
If you are reading this blog because you want to share your own family stories, I hope you will be inspired and encouraged to do so. Let me know when you do because I always love reading history and daily life in different time periods.
I’m looking forward to enjoying this adventure.
Exploring Generations 