After my father passed away in 2007, my cute mom had to redefine her life, and it wasn’t easy. She thought she might start scrap-booking, and so she purchased all kinds of tools and materials a serious scrap-booker might need: fancy scissors, decorative paper, stickers, etc. After investing a significant amount of cash, Mom decided she wasn’t really the scrap-booking type.

Nevertheless, she still felt inspired to write leave her children a legacy by recording her life story. I encouraged her efforts, even volunteered to interview her, but she turned me down. This was something Mom wanted to do, and she wanted it to be her work.

I interviewed Dad about his World War II experiences several years before his death, and it was a wonderful week spent talking, researching, and writing. I wrote up the notes to create his memoir as Dad wasn’t exactly enamored with computers.

Mom, on the other hand, has long used emailing systems, created newsletters, searched the web, etc. When introduced to Heritage Makers, she jumped on board. Thanks to Laura, the HM consultant, Mom was able to complete a hard-bound picture book that depicts the first 19 years of her life. Laura scanned 700+ photos for her and taught her how to design, drag, and drop in photos and text. The result is a treasure for her daughters, grandchildren, siblings, nieces and nephews.

In the process, she found pictures of her growing up years that Connie and I had never seen before, and we learned details of her life that were new to us as well. The second youngest of 13 children and raised during the Great Depression, we witnessed through her writing how difficult and how different her life was from our own.

I am so very grateful that my computer wizard of a mom worked so hard on her book, and that she’s writing up the second part of her life story – the years that include Connie and me! THANK YOU, MoM!