The Life Story Writer
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  • The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely, or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy amidst the simple beauty of nature. …I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles.

    – Anne Frank

    Sunset Malaspina Gallery Park (1 of 1)
  • Away from the tumult of motor and mill

    I want to be care-free; I want to be

    still!

    I’m weary of doing things; weary of

    words

    I want to be one with the blossoms

    and birds.

    – Edgar A. Guest

    butterfly on lilac
  • There is something of the marvelous in all things of nature.

    – Aristotle

    arbutus tree reduced size
  • There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

    – Albert Einstein

    Full moon Drumbeg Park May14 2014JH (1 of 1)
  • Look!
    Look!
    Look deep into nature and you will understand everything.

    – Albert Einstein

    Eagle (1 of 1)
  • Sunset Malaspina Gallery Park (1 of 1)

    The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely, or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy amidst the simple beauty of nature. …I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles.

    – Anne Frank

  • butterfly on lilac

    Away from the tumult of motor and mill

    I want to be care-free; I want to be

    still!

    I’m weary of doing things; weary of

    words

    I want to be one with the blossoms

    and birds.

    – Edgar A. Guest

  • arbutus tree reduced size

    There is something of the marvelous in all things of nature.

    – Aristotle

  • Full moon Drumbeg Park May14 2014JH (1 of 1)

    There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

    – Albert Einstein

  • Eagle (1 of 1)

    Look!
    Look!
    Look deep into nature and you will understand everything.

    – Albert Einstein

Let’s begin the journey today!A Life Story is a Gift…

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!

  • Fort Steele Aug. 5, 2012

    Posted on July 21, 2014 by Janice Henshaw in The Vagabond Girl - Travel Stories

    Sunday August 5th, Cranbrook A blazing hot sun – it went up to 90 degrees F today, and as I write in my journal this evening at 10:30 pm, the temperature has dropped all the way down to 82. Last night around midnight some people drove into the campground and cranked up their boom box. […]

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  • “I have forgotten so much…”

    Posted on January 31, 2014 by Janice Henshaw in Life Stories

    “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

    Read More

  • A not so good day just got a whole lot better

    Posted on July 21, 2015 by Janice Henshaw in all posts, Meditative Reflections and Photos

    Today was one of those days – “it just sucked.” It sounded good when I said those words out loud, and I could almost taste them through my lips. They were better than any combination of swear words, or a litany of complaints. “Today just sucked.” I said the words again, slowly and loudly, with […]

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  • Meandering Moments

    Posted on December 13, 2013 by Janice Henshaw in all posts, Meditative Reflections and Photos

    Last Sunday I was ready for a walk even though it was really cold (for us west coasters that is) and I decided to drive down to Whalebone Road and start from there. It is so much fun to walk somewhere new, enjoying each step, with no particular destination or time limit – without knowing […]

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  • Change – from one moment to the next

    Posted on May 21, 2014 by Janice Henshaw in Meditative Reflections and Photos

    “The rhodo’s beauty stops me, dissolves my worry replaces it with hope.” Photograph Janice Henshaw © 2014

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  • Joy can find space to enter

    Posted on May 17, 2017 by Janice Henshaw in Meditative Reflections and Photos

    Sorrow prepares you for joy. It violently sweeps everything out of your house, so that new joy can find space to enter. It shakes the yellow leaves from the bough of your heart, so that fresh, green leaves can grow in their place. It pulls up the rotten roots, so that new roots hidden beneath […]

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  • An orange zinnia just before sunset

    Posted on October 8, 2013 by Janice Henshaw in all posts, Meditative Reflections and Photos

    “What sunshine is to flowers, smiles are to humanity. These are but trifles, to be sure; but scattered along life’s pathway, the good they do is inconceivable.” ― Joseph Addison

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  • This moment

    Posted on February 3, 2015 by Janice Henshaw in all posts, Meditative Reflections and Photos

    “Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.” ~ Omar Khayyam Photograph © Janice Henshaw 2015 Cortes Island

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  • Stop ruining love by wanting what no longer exists

    Posted on October 31, 2017 by Janice Henshaw in Meditative Reflections and Photos

    “Love is a lost gift. Why wish for its return. Why beg for its flame when you’ve already been burned? Is it not enough to live from day to day remembering its tune like a beautiful melody you heard years ago- is it not enough to see a bruise and remember how it blossomed? Love […]

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  • “That’s too Easy”

    Posted on February 29, 2016 by Janice Henshaw in all posts, Meditative Reflections and Photos

    “Of all my children, you were always the hardest on yourself. You were always looking for the right way to behave, so concerned you might make a mistake. But, darling, there are no mistakes. There are only our wishes, our actions, and the consequences that follow both. There are only events, how we cope with […]

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  • Where does hurrying get you?

    Posted on March 13, 2017 by Janice Henshaw in all posts, Meditative Reflections and Photos

    “Great masses of people these days live out their lives in a dull and loveless stupor. Sensitive persons find our inartistic manner of existence oppressive and painful, and they withdraw from sight… I believe what we lack is joy. The ardor that a heightened awareness imparts to life, the conception of life as a happy […]

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  • Closed for the Day

    Posted on October 21, 2013 by Janice Henshaw in all posts, Meditative Reflections and Photos

    Some days – even when the door is closed – we can still enjoy what’s right in front of us.

    Read More

  • Camping in Zeller’s parking lot – Chilliwack – July 24, 2012

    Posted on February 2, 2014 by Janice Henshaw in all posts, The Vagabond Girl - Travel Stories

    Tuesday, July 24, 2012 – Camping in Zeller’s parking lot So that’s how I ended up on my first real day of travel on the mainland, 75km from my starting point in Surrey, sitting last night in the hot and deserted Zeller’s parking lot having a power picnic that consisted of lukewarm root beer and […]

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  • A reminder… to fall in love with your own life

    Posted on May 29, 2014 by Janice Henshaw in Meditative Reflections and Photos

    Everyone’s story is a gift…and so is today. “An old man and a little kidling are gonna show you how to fall in love with your own life,” Here’s the video:

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  • But Nature more

    Posted on March 24, 2016 by Janice Henshaw in all posts, Meditative Reflections and Photos

    There is pleasure in the pathless woods, there is rapture in the lonely shore, there is society where none intrudes, by the deep sea, and music in its roar; I love not Man the less, but Nature more. ~Lord Byron Words to be spoken slowly and enjoyed, as are walks in the woods, even in […]

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  • North West Ontario, Rainbow Falls Provincial Park Aug. 16, 2012 (173km)

    Posted on September 24, 2015 by Janice Henshaw in The Vagabond Girl - Travel Stories

    Another huge rainstorm last night with thunder and lightning. I started a conversation with a fellow from Oregon who said that he and his wife just spent six months working in Quebec. He said that the drive that I am on following the edge of Lake Superior is the prettiest part of the trip to […]

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  • Each day is too short for all I want to do

    Posted on November 9, 2015 by Janice Henshaw in all posts, Meditative Reflections and Photos

    “I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see.” ~John Burroughs What a gift! What contentment To be free To fill each day With such lovely pursuits. […]

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  • It’s so easy to love children and dogs!

    Posted on August 11, 2018 by Janice Henshaw in Meditative Reflections and Photos

    We love our little kids, and we love our dogs and cats, no matter what they look like or how outrageously they behave. Yet many (most?) of us are confused about what love is, and how to love others! And so we have a multi-billion dollar industry that thrives on that confusion. But what happens […]

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  • “Listen to your life.”

    Posted on September 26, 2014 by Janice Henshaw in Meditative Reflections and Photos

    “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 […]

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  • It’s the possibility of having a dream come true…

    Posted on January 19, 2014 by Janice Henshaw in all posts, Meditative Reflections and Photos

    “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 […]

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Blog Categories

  • Meditative Reflections and Photos
  • Life Stories
  • Vagabond Girl – Travel Stories

Testimonials

Just lovely!  The photos are beautiful, and the articles are interesting.  I was left wanting MORE! I love, love, love what you are creating.

Lori W.

I found your writing to be lovely and the pictures are just as wonderful.   Keep writing from your heart.  It shines through your words. Clear, simple and profound.  Thank you for sharing this.  It drew me in and warmed my heart.

Patricia D.

I’m extremely impressed with your writing skills and also with the layout on your web blog.
Keep up the nice quality writing, it is rare to see a great blog like this one today.

Rosalie

What a great book you wrote for our family! It doesn’t get much better than that! MH

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