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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!

  • “Eternity in an hour”

    Posted on October 7, 2015 by Janice Henshaw in all posts, Meditative Reflections and Photos

    “To see a world in a grain of sand And a heaven in a wild flower. Hold infinity in the palm of your hand And eternity in an hour.” ~ William Blake Waiting for us… if we look outside ourselves and create the space in time Photo © Janice Henshaw 2015 Eagles and seagulls feasting […]

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  • A Spider’s Web in the Fog

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

    A Spider’s Web in the Fog

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  • A cup of java on a rainy day

    Posted on November 10, 2013 by Janice Henshaw in all posts, Meditative Reflections and Photos

    “Have you found that you are growing both more tolerant AND more discerning as you get older? We grow tolerant because we see that life evens things out…On the other hand, we grow more discerning as well, as we realize that our time is precious…” Jennifer Boykin Creator and CEO lifeaftertampons.com

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  • Making the journey – that’s what counts – it matters not whether we achieve our goals

    Posted on May 8, 2014 by Janice Henshaw in all posts, Meditative Reflections and Photos

    Ithaca When you set out on your journey to Ithaca, pray that the road is long, full of adventure, full of knowledge. The Lestrygonians and the Cyclops, the angry Poseidon — do not fear them: You will never find such as these on your path, if your thoughts remain lofty, if a fine emotion touches […]

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  • Greater depths in the Life Around Us

    Posted on August 7, 2016 by Janice Henshaw in all posts, Meditative Reflections and Photos

    I was on a photo shoot and busy focusing on something else when this river otter came swimming by. It was there, and then it was gone. It makes me think about how easy it is to miss out on the cool things that are going on around us in the people we know, and […]

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  • Knowing a place and yourself by walking

    Posted on May 8, 2016 by Janice Henshaw in all posts, Meditative Reflections and Photos

    “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. […]

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  • Loneliness – where the deepest activities begin

    Posted on December 5, 2014 by Janice Henshaw in Meditative Reflections and Photos

    Yet it is in this loneliness that the deepest activities begin. It is here that you discover act without motion, labor that is profound repose, vision in obscurity, and, beyond all desire, a fulfillment whose limits extend to infinity. -Thomas Merton   A different thought… “Maybe ever’body in the whole damn world is scared of […]

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  • Our window on the world

    Posted on November 17, 2015 by Janice Henshaw in all posts, Meditative Reflections and Photos

    Our window on the world Is as big and generous As we choose to make it. Photo Horseshoe Bay © Janice Henshaw 2015

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  • Christina Lake, BC. July 28, 2012

    Posted on April 27, 2014 by Janice Henshaw in The Vagabond Girl - Travel Stories

    July 28th Saturday Christina Lake – 157 km from Osoyoos, 606 km from home I stayed in the slow lane on the big climb out of Osoyoos this morning to conserve gas except when I had to pull around a semi-trailer, some of whom who were going so slow that they looked like they were […]

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  • You are here to enrich the world

    Posted on December 17, 2014 by Janice Henshaw in all posts, Meditative Reflections and Photos

    “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 […]

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  • Thank you

    Posted on January 31, 2014 by Janice Henshaw in all posts, Meditative Reflections and Photos

    “If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.” Meister Eckhart

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  • Christmas and moving – just moments in time

    Posted on December 20, 2014 by Janice Henshaw in all posts, Meditative Reflections and Photos

    Today while packing for a move to new digs, I was listening to K.D Lang sing these hauntingly beautiful words: “Once there was a way to get back home again.” With Christmas just around the corner, it made me think about home and wonder if there ever really is a way to get back home. […]

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  • Let it all go…

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

    Sometimes the best thing you can do is sit back close your eyes and let the world go by.   Photograph © Janice Henshaw 2014 – Baloo enjoying the sun in PEI

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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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  • Autobiography, Biography, Life story, and Memoir – What is the difference?

    Posted on August 18, 2014 by Janice Henshaw in all posts, Life Stories

    Photo ©  Janice Henshaw Autobiography, Biography, Life story/Memoir – What is the difference? What do they mean? Autobiography – I write an account about my life, and it could consist of just my viewpoint and memories – it’s all about me! Biography – I write an account of someone else’s life – and most likely, […]

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  • You can’t really feel what’s going on inside until you go out!

    Posted on July 18, 2019 by Janice Henshaw in Meditative Reflections and Photos

    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 […]

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  • I Wander’d Lonely as a Cloud

    Posted on March 27, 2014 by Janice Henshaw in all posts, Meditative Reflections and Photos

    I Wander’d Lonely as a Cloud “I wandered lonely as a cloud That floats on high o’er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host, of golden daffodils; Beside the lake, beneath the trees, Fluttering and dancing in the breeze. Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the […]

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  • “Know that you have plenty of spirit”

    Posted on January 27, 2014 by Janice Henshaw in all posts, Meditative Reflections and Photos

    “Know that you have plenty of spirit; for even before you began to equip yourself with maxims which were wholesome and potent to overcome obstacles, you were taking pride in your contest with Fortune; and this is all the more true, now that you have grappled with Fortune and tested your powers. For our powers […]

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  • Stop and smell the roses

    Posted on June 20, 2015 by Janice Henshaw in all posts, Meditative Reflections and Photos

    “There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.” Epictetus quote Oh, the angst on hearing the news it settles upon us like a dark heavy cloud and for awhile it’s hard to think of anything else. But as time passes […]

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  • Moose Jaw Saskatchewan – Aug. 10, 2012

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

    Swift Current to Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan 174km (38’C) Where to today? I couldn’t wait to get out of the Swift Current campground, King of Grunge, and travelling anywhere else sounded good. I am now in Moose Jaw, camped at River Park Campground, a private campground – they only take cash, $32.00 thank you, and they […]

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  • 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’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

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.

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

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