“You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you’ll discover will be wonderful. What you’ll discover is yourself.” ~Alan Alda Photograph © Janice Henshaw 2015
Leave the city of your comfort
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 Messiness of Daily Living
“You might be tempted to avoid the messiness of daily living for the tranquility of stillness and peacefulness. This of course would be an attachment to stillness, and like any strong attachment, it leads to delusion. It arrests development and short-circuits the cultivation of wisdom.” ― Jon Kabat-Zinn
I only went out for a walk…
I was delighted to find this boulder with (my hero!) John Muir’s quote inscribed at the trail in Whitewater Canyon Preserve, northwest of Palm Springs, off Interstate 10. We had a great hike/climb up to the top of a mountain (a Hugh Grant mountain?) which rewarded us with a stellar view while we enjoyed our […]
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 […]
A reminder… to fall in love with your own life
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:
How would it change me – to look for the light – every day?
It had rained hard during the night and everywhere I looked it was dripping, grey and dismal. I walked looking down at the ground to avoid mud puddles and slippery sections. Then I looked up, and saw this light – an open window beckoning me on, at the end of the, er, tunnel – of […]
Baloo – my navigator
“Baloo”, said the vet “is a mix of lab and shepherd, and who knows what else. If you are interested it’s possible to do a DNA search.” “Are you kidding” I responded, “I just wanted to know the major parts of this Heinz 57 creation because people are always asking me “What’s he made of?” […]
Autumn Leaves
So intent on a goal and overwhelmed with thought we sometimes forget to use our eyes and see how beautiful it is right now, where we are. -Janice Henshaw Photograph ©Janice Henshaw 2014 – Autumn leaves, Front Royal,Virginia
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 […]
Lighten up your picture
Your attitude is like a box of crayons that color your world. Constantly color your picture gray, and your picture will always be bleak. Try adding some bright colors to the picture by including humor, and your picture begins to lighten up. ~Allen Klein Photo © Janice Henshaw 2016 Spring tulip
Challenge yourself…
“Challenge yourself with something you know you could never do, and what you’ll find is that you can overcome anything.” Anonymous I found the warning sign above marking a park trail. Of course I went up it. I see signs like this in the same way that I think a bull sees a waving red […]
You can’t really feel what’s going on inside until you go out!
Sometimes the hardest thing we can do is manage out time to “get out there.” But if we do, we find that all the balls we are juggling tend to slow down, and their urgency tends to diminish. Our heart rate slows, our brain waves slow, our lungs expand with deeper breaths, and our bodies […]
Sorrow and joy
“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 […]
Small Miracles are Everywhere
Taking a refreshing deep breath and a moment to look for small miracles in our day can make a whole lot of difference! I noticed in the grocery store that people were keeping their distance, but forgetting to smile at each other. We don’t have to look so grim! Exercise those lips and the lovely […]
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
“The Beauty of Life”
“The beauty of life is, while we cannot undo what is done, we can see it, understand it, learn from it and change. So that every new moment is spent not in regret, guilt, fear or anger, but in wisdom, understanding and love.” Jennifer Edwards Photograph © Janice Henshaw 2015 Drumbeg Park
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 […]
I am in love with this world
I am in love with this world . . . I have climbed its mountains, roamed its forests, sailed its waters, crossed its deserts, felt the sting of its frosts, the oppression of its heats, the drench of its rains, the fury of its winds, and always have beauty and joy waited upon my goings […]
Rail trail to Kimberley Aug 4 2012
Saturday August 4th Cranbrook I walked a good ways around Jim Smith Lake and wondered who he was. For breakfast, I cooked up blueberry pancakes with peaches. Then I read for a while and looking at the pine forest and breathing in the sweet air, I thought this moment, this experience is a pretty great […]