“Our memory works like the reload button of a computer. You need to refresh the memory from time to time, if it is important to you, otherwise that memory will be lost forever.” — Jobaer Ahmed
. . .
I began writing family stories in early 2020 when I noticed that my adolescent children seemed to be getting a real kick out of revisiting my old journal entries.
One day, I discovered both of my teens reading my journals and poring over the pictures that accompanied the entries, which they discovered while organizing a storage closet. Many of the images were from my pregnancy or their baby and toddler years and I had written the dates and locations on the backs of the pictures.
I had kept pregnancy and baby keepsake journals for both of them throughout my pregnancies and the first two years of their lives.
The journals detailed experiences, milestones, and memories spurred by pre-written prompts and thought-starters that I had outlined for myself. We laughed and reminisced over the funny stories and anecdotes. The kiddos then proceeded to pepper me with questions about their childhood.
It brought me a great deal of satisfaction to know that they genuinely appreciated my stories. And suddenly it dawned on me that I could write more personal stories of our lives together. In this way, I could provide some more lovely memories for them, creating a lasting legacy while also pursuing what I loved, writing.
Looking through journals from the past is particularly meaningful for children. The journals offer a glimpse into the lives of their parents, their childhood, and an opportunity to relive their formative years. These narratives connect our lives and define who we are as a family.
Reminiscing can give children a sense of meaning and purpose. Reflecting on their youth can remind them how far they have come and motivate them to keep moving forward.
In this way, I could provide some more lovely memories for them, creating a lasting legacy while also pursing what I loved, writing.
Before I began writing regularly, I would devote a couple of hours to catching up on the latest news at the end of every day. But it dawned on me that consuming less of this media might be a good idea, given all the terrible news dominating the headlines last year. Thus, I decided to focus on writing about fond family memories instead.
I began with personal events, life stories, and anecdotes about myself and other family members. I found unparalleled joy in recording these thoughts and memories that were so formative in our lives. In addition to being therapeutic, writing offered me room for creativity and self-expression.
I have now come full circle.
The pregnancy and baby journals are no longer sitting in dusty closets but have been folded into larger projects about our family history, including all kinds of major and mundane moments we have shared so far and all of those that will happen in the future.
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This post was previously published on Moms Don’t Have Time to Write.
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