We are just about to this point in my family. Mom will turn 93 next week. She has dementia. Daddy is gone. I have questions that no one can answer. That is a hard reality.
I did do one smart thing years ago. I made each of the grandparents a memory book. The ones that can be purchased were too much for elderly folks to fill in.
I kept the questions simple and added some art to each page. I interviewed my parents using it and filled in answers. Stories were told. Pages and photos were added.
Now we have books titled: Who are you? We really want to know. These books will answer some questions when no one is left to remember. Life ends fast. Time passes.
I thought of these today as I was pondering the plight of the poor folks in California who must flee the fires. I was asking myself what I would take with me. These books would be in the first box out.
FLOW
floweralley 
I have thought of that, too. What to take (and what to back up digitally beforehand and give to someone else to keep…just in case.) So glad you have those books. So much better that you spent the time to ask them in person. Great memories.
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It produced more memories while preserving others. Thanks Beth.
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People, pets, important documents and photos… in that order for me. 🙂
Your parent’s books are priceless documents!
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I must make copies. One for each child and my sister. Maybe mom’s brother and dad’s brother.
I made copies of my Gran’s recipe book and sent those to cousins.
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I have also been thinking about that, and I still can’t decide what would go in my bag. Hard to imagine how awful it must be to have nothing left. The memory books are a great idea.
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Thanks. I am relieved that I followed through on these before things fell apart. By that point we were too busy caretaking.
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You are remembering. I recently received photographs from the Photo Angel (a real person) of my ancestors that someone found. They passed over 100 years ago, but their memories were shared and they were thought of. Do you do Ancestry.com? I found other relatives that had stories of our ancestors.
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My cousin is into that. I will connect to it in the spring. Too many projects right now.
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What a beautifully creative idea
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Thank Knight. My dad told many stories. We did not want to lose those. I am grateful we had a 7 month window after his surgery to collect them. I sat by his bed writing like I was his secretary. When he finished he would say “Read it back to me.” I think it was a comfort to him to know his memories were safe on paper.
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I’m sure it was
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I like the idea of a memory book; maybe I should get one for myself but it’s in my poems ; ummmm ….
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I get it. Your poems are your legacy. These books are a treasure although messy and off the cuff. Like chats on a car ride.
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A great idea. I’ll always remember Mama (my grandmother) saying, “If you’d asked me earlier, I’d have been able to tell you all about it.”
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Yep. We are there. There is also confusion and some hallucinations to add to the forgetfullness. Not really a good source for family history at this point.
Mama was the family memory.
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