How can you hesitate? Risk! Risk anything! Care no more for the opinion of others, for those voices. Do the hardest thing on earth for you. Act for yourself. Face the truth. -Katherine Mansfield Photo © Janice Henshaw 2014
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!
Reflections – Look Inside Yourself
“Do you know what you are? You are a manuscript oƒ a divine letter. You are a mirror reflecting a noble face. This universe is not outside of you. Look inside yourself; everything that you want, you are already that.” ― Rumi Photo – reflection in Victoria Lake © Janice Henshaw 2015
Trust the dreams…
“Trust the dreams, for in them is hidden the gate to eternity.” ~Kahil Gibran Photo – Waterton Lakes falls © Janice Henshaw
Ste. Anne, Manitoba, Aug. 12, 2012
August 12th, Sunday, Ste. Anne, Manitoba, Lilac Resort $32.00 (Around 270km from Brandon) Mornings are the best! It means that one has survived the night with no exciting wake up calls. It means fresh ground coffee, and a whole new day of adventure waiting just outside my door. What will happen today, tonight, tomorrow? Next […]
Impossible? Or just too hard?
“There are many things that seem impossible only so long as one does not attempt them.” ~ANDRE GIDE French author (1869-1951) Photograph © Janice Henshaw 2016 Oasis in Mojave Desert
“An example of life’s mystery and unpredictability…”
“I discovered that the horse is life itself, a metaphor but also an example of life’s mystery and unpredictability, of life’s generosity and beauty, a worthy object of repeated and ever changing contemplation.” Jane Smiley (Photo – Horses on Gabriola Island © Janice Henshaw)
You are here to enrich the world
“You are not here merely to make a living. You are here in order to enable the world to live more amply, with greater vision, with a finer spirit of hope and achievement. You are here to enrich the world, and you impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.” Woodrow Wilson Photograph © Janice Henshaw […]
It’s the possibility of having a dream come true…
“It’s the possibility of having a dream come true that makes life interesting……Before a dream is realized, the Soul of the World tests everything that was learned along the way. It does this not because it is evil, but so that we can, in addition to realizing our dreams master the lessons we have learned […]
Fall is coming, what’s today?
Fall is coming faster than expected. What happened to summer 2016? One morning I woke up and it was gone. And so it is with today. Today is a one time gift which we can choose to cherish or not. We can make choices such as putting yesterday behind us and for today engage in […]
Simply speaking truth heals
Each of us has a truth as unique as our own fingerprints. Without knowing that truth, without speaking it aloud, we cannot know who we are and that we are already whole. In the most profound way, speaking our truth allows us to know that our life matters, that our viewpoint has never existed before. […]
Heading down the road to who knows where?
July 7, 2012 It’s late on Saturday afternoon, and I decided it was time to go out exploring. First, I drove to Lizard Lake campground and found out that what used to be a Texas Mickey challenge for young Port Renfrew teenagers is now a well-marked trail all around the lake. We set off into […]
Beauty requires strangeness?
“There is no beauty without some strangeness.” — Edgar Allan Poe How I love that quote! In people, nature, art… it’s what gives us our uniqueness our quirky personalities and if we are generous enhances our love for others and ourselves. Janice Henshaw Photo © 2017
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 […]
How we can each find peace in our world
Affirmation: I choose to respond to life’s provocations, not with anger, resentment, or regret, but with equanimity and a focus on positive action. – Jonathan Lockwood Huie
The Vagabond Girl – My Story
In early 2012 I was gainfully employed with plans of working until I was 65, doing all the “right things” and trying to squirrel away savings for the future. I was so busy trying to stay abreast of everything that I not only thought life was passing me by in a blur, I knew it […]
Looking for the light – Grayton Beach, Florida
“Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light.” Helen Keller
Planning a Happy Life?
“If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.” – Albert Einstein Photograph © Janice Henshaw 2015
Pebbles on a beach, each one different
In my wanderings, I leave behind what seems to be a beach full of mistakes. Sometimes I even admire their ingenuity, their colours, their unique shapes. For the most part though, I see and feel their darkness, their rough textures, and wonder at the extent of my unknowing. I taste the salty depth of […]
“I have forgotten so much…”
“I’ve forgotten so much. Please, please let me keep more than a photograph. When age finally takes the folds of my mind and collapses them, when all goes gray and confused, Let me remember love. ~Michale D. Heilman




















