Traditions - Do you know your family's story?

There have been so many times since my sister in law passed away from the crippling effects of breast cancer at the age of 34, that I have wished I had more stories to share with her three children...her stories.
In seconds, I can type out a hundred questions that I would ask her if I just had one more day.
What were her favorite foods when she was a child? Who was her first "crush"? How did she learn to sew so beautifully, and what was her first craft project? (She would have been a famous "crafty' blogger, I just know it). What were her favorite movies? What was her biggest life lesson as a new mom? How did she come to know the Lord.... what were her favorite verses?
The list goes on and on, and I find myself tearing up as I type because of all the "do you know" questions her children have asked over the years, and I regret that....I regret that I didn't know more of the answers. What were her hopes and dreams as a teen or the secret desires of her heart?
I never asked. Some of those things one never thinks about until it's too late, especially with someone so young.
Things I wanted to share when her oldest daughter got married. So many things I wished I could have blessed her with....things that her mom would have wanted said.
I tried. I tried desperately.
The Lord gave me words of wisdom, but they weren't her words.
When my sis in love died a decade ago, it awoke in me the passion to be intentional with the little things. Things like choosing joy when our head/heart tells us life isn't always fair.
It intensified in me the realization of how precious life is, and that if I don't take the time to write down the little things, those moments are lost.
I know that is why so many of us love blogging. It's a tangible expression of the legacy that we are leaving...the good, bad and ugly. :)
I'll share more ideas of how I have purposed in my heart to leave a lasting legacy, but first here's a peak into what we did this week with my father in law.
As the holidays are approaching, many of us will be with loved ones who have so much to share.
There may be stories told that you've heard a million times, but have you truly listened? There are probably many stories that you have never taken the time to hear because "life" just got away.
Don't wait and have regrets like I did.
This is your chance to create a holiday gathering that will be remembered for generations to come.
Connecting over meaningful conversation may be something that you typically avoid, especially if extended family time is more stressful than peaceful. But this may be just the healing balm that the doctor ordered.
Don't worry, every family tree has their share of the nuts. :)

We started out by placing our kitchen chairs in front of our fireplace for the big video interview. We decided we wanted this to be grandpa/grandchild time and asked each of our five children to come up with 5-10 questions that they wanted to ask Grandpa. (Trust me, once we got rolling, I don't think we made it through even 1/4 of them, so don't stress about the questions) .

The questions ranged from things about his childhood, school and work experiences, to family advise and the kind of life he's lived. He shared how he met Grandma S (who has now passed away), and unfortunately, we ended up running out of room on our video card before we were all finished. It was such a special time and we could have listened for hours. We found out so many new things, just because we asked.

Here is my eldest writing frantically because his questions are up next, and you can bet that I am saving all of their questions for another time.
(tangent....notice the not-yet- hung black clock misplaced on my corner hutch...last week...yardsale....$1)

I am so thankful for this wonderful man (yes, my hubby rocks) who made this evening happen. Our day was crazy, and if it was up to me, it wouldn't have happened.

We spent the day with Grandpa and Granny taking in the breathtaking views of the mountains leaves at their peak, running them back and forth to football,

and all I wanted to do was come home and do this...which I really did...after Grandpa was done (or maybe a little bit during. :)....

but it turned into bedlam after I was woken up by my other daughter wanting to get in on the picture action. Yes, she is totally a little faker.

Thank you, honey, for being purposeful in your desire to get a deeper understanding of our family history and record it for generations to come.

Thanks even more to Grandpa S. (my hubby's dad) for sharing his heart with us, and letting us take a peak into pieces of his life.

If you don't have the time to think of questions yourself or would like to extend this idea to family members around the country, take a look at my Family Tree booklets or Stories of My Life.

FAMILY TREE BOOKLETS (click on products, browse by the collection called Staying in touch)
Send these 4.5” x 6” booklets to Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles and Cousins and have them fill in their story. Or start a new family tradition whereby the younger generation interviews one member of the older generation every Thanksgiving and fills in the booklet for them. Store these treasured family keepsakes in a beautiful silk Family Tree Box. Each of the 5 Booklets has 7 pages.
Price: $16.00