What do you do when life takes you on a side trip from your normal routines with your family history? I think if we give that a good deal of pondering we know that our first responsibility is to our living family. As family historians we have to find a balance. Finding balance automatically reduces our stress. We simply cannot do it all. Choices are always a part of the equation.
Mother and Son
Today is Jim's mom's 90th birthday. She is the first person in our family to reach that age. It is a monumental thing to be her age and still be vibrant, active, healthy and service-oriented. Wouldn't we all like to be a contributing member of society at 90? So many people at her party said she is their role model for longevity.
We wanted to honor her and pay tribute to her life and her accomplishments. This is something we often do after a person dies, but it was our decision to really celebrate this occasion with her to the best of our abilities.
We thought a memory book was one of things we would do. We also had a big party for her with about 85 guests this past weekend. It was so great to watch her find joy in all of this. Creating Family History in real times is something we really enjoy.
I learned so many things during this process that I wanted to share with you today. One is that we should not be afraid to tackle something we have never done before. When we do we need to expect a struggle. It is a big part of the learning curve while accomplishing anything we set out to master. Creating a memory book for someone who has lived 90 years was probably an unrealistic goal with only a month to accomplish it.
But I decided to try it. Elder Wiemer encouraged me to try his favorite site and I did. It is called picaboo.com. If you decide to try making one, take note of the spelling of picaboo. I didn't do that and I spent a frustrating weekend trying to find the website after he told me about it.
Recognition of the fact that there is a learning curve to every website is important. Try not to do your first book with a deadline for an event. I would also suggest that you not try to cover 90 years in your first book because you will definitely run into photo problems regarding size, resolution, photos needing extensive editing and the like. For a first book try capturing an event like a trip or an holiday celebration or a family reunion. To make it really easy you can use a website's themed templates and just drop in your photos from your desktop. But a custom photo book with narrative where you are designing each page on your own is a different animal (in fact it's a beast) when you are rushing.
Technically I think I finally mastered the techniques needed to make a book. But I cannot tell you how long to took from beginning to end. Finding the photos and stories and organizing and editing them was arduous. Then getting them on to each page, to the point of finally opening the published hard cover book, took literally hundreds of hours. I write this not to discourage you but to enlighten you about what is involved in a big project like this. So again, start with a smaller project first to learn the tricks then you can make a book in a much shorter time and you will truly enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Grandma with her 11 great grandchildren!
One of the greatest rewards of doing this project for me was to see her in a wonderful new light. It is story about a real life. It's not about a famous person who did something huge and noteworthy according to society's standards. Instead it is about a woman who lifts where she stands and brings a lot of joy to those around her. I have been a witness to her success at that for over 50 years. This has been not only in our family but also with her friends and in the community where she serves in various organizations to this day. I am glad her successes have been remembered in this book for the generations to come. She will inspire her posterity and not be forgotten.
Try a memory book. If you have any questions or need some help let me know.
Technically I think I finally mastered the techniques needed to make a book. But I cannot tell you how long to took from beginning to end. Finding the photos and stories and organizing and editing them was arduous. Then getting them on to each page, to the point of finally opening the published hard cover book, took literally hundreds of hours. I write this not to discourage you but to enlighten you about what is involved in a big project like this. So again, start with a smaller project first to learn the tricks then you can make a book in a much shorter time and you will truly enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Gloria and Fred's family
Don't they look like the Cleaver Family from
Leave it to Beaver?
Grandma with her 11 great grandchildren!
Reading her life story in her memory book!
One of the greatest rewards of doing this project for me was to see her in a wonderful new light. It is story about a real life. It's not about a famous person who did something huge and noteworthy according to society's standards. Instead it is about a woman who lifts where she stands and brings a lot of joy to those around her. I have been a witness to her success at that for over 50 years. This has been not only in our family but also with her friends and in the community where she serves in various organizations to this day. I am glad her successes have been remembered in this book for the generations to come. She will inspire her posterity and not be forgotten.
Try a memory book. If you have any questions or need some help let me know.
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