“One day in the country Is worth a month in town” Christina Rossetti
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!
Not health, but healing, not being but becoming
This life therefore is not righteousness, but growth in righteousness, not health, but healing, not being but becoming, not rest but exercise. We are not yet what we shall be, but we are growing toward it, the process is not yet finished, but it is going on, this is not the end, but it is […]
Looking for the light – Grayton Beach, Florida
“Faith is the strength by which a shattered world shall emerge into the light.” Helen Keller
Travel memories and photographs
Remember when? This photo appeared suddenly today while I was supposed to be doing something important. It made me think about how photos jog our memories and transport us back to a place and time that we may have forgotten, a moment when we were in awe of nature’s magnificence, admiring an architectural delight, creating […]
Hiking and bears – Waterton Lakes National Park – Aug. 7, 2012
Tues, Aug. 7th Waterton Lakes National Park After the blissful start to a day of sunshine, coffee and breakfast the first thing on my agenda was to drive out to the Red Rock Parkway. It is fifteen miles through the Blakiston Valley, and follows an ancient bison trail. Along this route, there is a great […]
The Vagabond Girl – My 43,000 km trip in a 14 Foot Trailer with a dog named Baloo
In July 2012 I set out on a trip. I drove my Dad’s old diesel pickup and towed a small 14′ trailer. My dog Baloo sat in the co-pilot seat and acted as navigator. He never disagreed with any of my ideas. Nor did he argue when I changed direction, got lost, or was late […]
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 […]
“Eternity in an hour”
“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 […]
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?” […]
“Zen in the Art of Writing” Ray Bradbury
“And what, you ask, does writing teach us? First and foremost, it reminds us that we are alive and that it is a gift and a privilege, not a right.” ― Ray Bradbury, Zen in the Art of Writing
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 […]
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
Christina Lake, BC. July 28, 2012
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 […]
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
Early morning light on bamboo
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Martin Luther King, Jr.
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 […]
Joy can find space to enter
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 […]
A Poem to Steer Your Life By
Late Fragment And did you get what you wanted from this life, even so? I did. And what did you want? To call myself beloved, to feel myself beloved on the earth. ~Raymond Carver What a gorgeous theme for living! If we were to use these words to guide our path, wouldn’t we find life’s […]
