“A person all wrapped up in themselves makes for a mighty small package.” ~Michael Bernard Beckwith Isn’t that a great description? And oh my gosh, such a challenge to be around those noisy little packages. Luckily these daisies are lovely for the eyes, and easy on the ears a forest treasure! Photo © Janice Henshaw
Shaw TV Interview – How I became the Life Story Writer
There is no greater gift than sharing the experiences and wisdom of a lifetime with family and friends. How do family members know who they are if they don’t know where they came from – their roots? But the challenge is in getting started.
In his book On Writing Well author William Zinsser said:
One of the saddest sentences I know is “I wish I would have asked my mother about that. Or my father. Or my grandmother, or grandfather”…
It is sometimes difficult to write about yourself in a detached manner that provides an interesting read for others. Many people put off this activity and never find the time. With some encouragement and a good guide, however, it can be a pleasant, rewarding journey to tell your own unique story.
I live on Southern Vancouver Island and can travel to record your memories of past events and the people who have made your life special. In the comfort of your home this process will be relaxing and enjoyable. It will no doubt be fun too. We will add photos and special documents if applicable, and then we will have your story professionally printed. What a gift – for you, your family, the next generations, and friends – can you imagine holding the book in your hands, seeing it on your coffee table, in your bookcase, reading stories to your grandchildren? It will be much cherished.
How often have you wished that your forebears had left written stories of their lives? A family tree may appeal to some, and facts may appeal to others, but stories are how we get to know people and the times in which they lived.
You may not think you have led an exceptional life, but I am sure that through this process, you will end up thinking otherwise. You will have fun, perhaps shed some tears, and remember details you may have forgotten, but overall, you will be thankful that you made this journey into your past. It will be the creation of a special legacy for your sons and daughters, grandchildren and great grandchildren, or friends; they will be so grateful that your stories are preserved. Don’t wait – give me a call and let’s get started.
Family and Friends
If you are a family member or friend, here’s the most special gift you will ever find for your loved one. Give the gift of a life story book to a beloved parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle or friend.
Retirement Gift
A book of photos and stories from coworkers makes an amazing and unique retirement gift.
Your Company History
Make it work for you! A short publication packed with personal anecdotes and interesting photographs can be an ideal gift for clients, and a wonderful coffee table book in your office. Highlighting projects and giving clients the opportunity to learn more about the special people who work on them can be a determining factor in developing trust. Posting the business memoir to your website will make your company stand out from all the rest!
The Gift of Love
“This is the miracle that happens every time to those who really love: the more they give, the more they possess.” Rainer Maria Rilke
The other side of fear
We are born without any fear. As we grow, we learn to dress in layers of popular fears, there are so many to choose from. We try fears on to feel if they fit, and breathe them in, and make them ours. We often share them with others. We may have generalized anxiety, or trauma […]
Cranbrook to Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta
Monday August 6, 2012 – Cranbrook to Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta – 270 km Waterton Lakes National Park ($30.00) I camped in the Red Rock Canyon at Crandell Lake. It was the only place available as everything else was booked. There are mountains all around us and some have lovely red colours in the rock, hence the […]
It’s good to feel lost
Yesterday, the morning light came late because a grey blanket of fog lay settled between the trees. I thought that it would be the perfect gloomy and intriguing day to explore the Cedar Tree Park Reserve. After finding the trail head off North Road, I parked and then Baloo and I followed the path into […]
Obatanga Provincial Park Aug. 18, 2012
Up at 8, and straight to the laundry which is a ½ km walk away. It sure feels good to have fresh sheets on my bed. I had an awesome shower too, the best one so far because of the decent pressure. This park is large – it has 9409 hectares and its park lakes […]
Doing, doing, doing… instead of being content with what we have
Only men must do. It’s in their nature to do, and much of what they’ve done is for the best, only sometimes they start doing before they understand that what they’ll get won’t be nearly as wonderful as what they had. ~Louis L’Amour 1973 And Allan Watts said, “We thought of life by analogy with […]
Cranbrook, Jim Smith Provincial Park (Aug. 3, 2012)

Cranbrook, Jim Smith Lake Prov Park The wind blew up last night, and it kept me awake. It was a short night because I wanted to be early at the Balfour ferry terminal, I had no idea whether or not there was a high demand for the crossing. I was first in line! A true […]
Being happy – such a gift
“There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy. By being happy we sow anonymous benefits upon the world.” Robert Louis Stevenson It’s so easy to be unhappy… and there are so many reasons that can be marshalled to justify such a demeanor. But oh, what a gift to be […]
Moon rising over fog bank – South Pender Island
“As we open to what is actually happening in any given moment … we can find ourselves rewoven into the pattern of wholeness, into the immensity of life.” – Sharon Salzberg, from Faith
“Listen to your life.”
“Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery that it is. In the boredom and pain of it no less than in the excitement and gladness: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it because in the last analysis all moments are key moments, and life itself is […]
Knowing a place and yourself by walking
“No one can find what will work for our cities by looking at …suburban garden cities, manipulating scale models, or inventing dream cities. You’ve got to get out and walk.” — Jane Jacobs, Downtown is for People, 1957 Walking in cities is good, and true for islands too. You’ve got to get out and walk. […]
A bridge to Gabriola – his dream and mine
A fellow had a dream he says, about a bridge linking Gabriola to Vancouver Island. Oh my, I thought, I wonder why he would move to an island and then start to dream about a bridge that would stop it from being an island? Thinking about the ramifications of a bridge had quite an effect […]
Peace. Be calm in your heart
Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart. -author unknown Photograph © Janice Henshaw 2015
Dreams and Magical Moments
Dreams and magical moments don’t give a hoot about logic and explanations. So laugh, breathe them in and enjoy the spaciousness and warmth that feels so good when you just let go. -Janice Henshaw Photo © Janice Henshaw (Joyce Lockwood Park)
To love is what’s important
“It is better to love wisely, no doubt: but to love foolishly is better than not to be able to love at all.” — William Makepeace Thackeray (English novelist of 19th century – Vanity Fair) Thackeray’s quote is delightful! I smiled when I read it. Another quote by Thackeray “The world is a looking glass […]
Will that light come again?
“Will that light come again, As now these tears come…falling hot and real!” ― Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Sonnets from the Portuguese Believe that it will, see the stump by the trail – all that remains from a silent stately tree that once reached for the sun. A breathing majestic tree that struggled alone through so […]
The forest and your heart
The forest makes your heart gentle. You become one with it… No place for greed or anger there. Pha Pachak
To transform ourselves
“The ultimate reason for meditating is to transform ourselves in order to be better able to transform the world or, to put it another way, to transform ourselves so we can become better human beings in order to serve others in a wiser and more efficient way. It gives your life the noblest possible meaning.” […]



















