I was just watching the Today show, which is something I rarely get to do, and I got to see an absolutely beautiful piece Ann Curry did, documenting her father's final days. [msn.com] His attitude was that if it could be useful to someone, he wanted her to do it and share it.
As I watched it, I shed a few tears, thinking about my own parents' mortality. About a year ago I started documenting my father's life with a fantastic little book that prompts me with questions. My intention was to interview dad then turn his words into a book for my brothers and I. My goal is to do the same with my mom. But as life got busier with kids, work, home, etc I stopped my "two questions a week" momentum and haven't picked that book up in several months. As an impending surgery grows nearer for him, I suddenly feel the urgency to ask him the remaining 120, or so, questions. I hate to "what if", but like most of us, I let myself go down that path sometimes.
So I'm wondering, have you documented your parents' lives, whether they be still living or deceased? If so, what did you do? Something similar to me like interviewing and writing? Are you using a video camera? Are you simply recording their voice? I'd love to hear!
hi Missy,
I was lucky...I didn't document my G'ma's life other than lots of pictures but after her death I found that she had documented her own life..I have found so many notes and letters that she wrote in her own writing..She wrote about life as a child, trips she took and quite a few notes to me telling me how much she loved and appreciated me for caring for her all those years...
These notes are priceless to me and I cried as I read each of them..
She lived with us for many years and I took care of her till the day she died and will never regret one day I was blessed enough to be with her..
My kids grew up thinking that it was normal to have your grandparents living with you and all of the times that I had to miss a play or something special they knew why and never complained because they knew why I couldn't come, it was never because I didn't want to, it was because I couldn't leave her alone...
I love the idea of documenting your loved ones life so that your children and their children can read all about how their grandparents lived and loved...
If you can find a way to make time to do it I can promise that after their time has come you will hold all of the things you wrote as a priceless piece of history that can be shared for years to come...
How beautiful, Cindy! You used the perfect word - pricless! Thank you for sharing!
Missy: I was wondering if that little book came form Hallmark? I seem to remember last year after my father-in-law died unexpectedly, hearing something about....a famous actress was a spokesperson.....I guess I have to Google. LOL.........
My parents are both gone 10 years, maybe my husband and I can do something while his mom is still with us. THX for the inspiration; hope I follow it through!
I didn't get it in a Hallmark store, but rather from an ecclectic little gift shop. I don't know anything about a celeb bring a spokesperson, but that could totally be it!
I'll bet if you google, you'd be able to find some cool interview questions to ask your mohter-in-law. What ended up happening with the books I bought was that I used them to take notes and then typed up the longer, more natural sounding version in a Word document. My intention is to complete my dad's with my brothers and mom (he just passed away) and then work on my mom's. When they're both complete, I'll have them published into a book for everyone.
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