7 Days of looking for the light What a gift it has been. “Light is creation. Darkness is the space necessary to create.” ― Erica Jasmin Cartaya
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 Gift of Love
“This is the miracle that happens every time to those who really love: the more they give, the more they possess.” Rainer Maria Rilke
“When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.”
‘Does it hurt?’ asked the Rabbit. ‘Sometimes,’ said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. ‘When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.’ ‘Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,’ he asked, ‘or bit by bit?’ ‘It doesn’t happen all at once,’ said the Skin Horse. ‘You become. It takes […]
“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
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. […]
“There was never yet an uninteresting life…”
“There was never yet an uninteresting life. Such a thing is an impossibility. Inside the dullest exterior, there is a drama, a comedy, and a tragedy.” Mark Twain (1835-1910)
Taking the time to live
“How much better to know that we have dared to live our dreams than to live our lives in a lethargy of regret.” ~Gilbert Caplin
Leave the city of your comfort
“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
Ordinary heroes
We have within us the strength to be a hero. Unsung, unremembered may we be, but from somewhere deep inside we dredge up buckets of tremulous courage and top them off with undaunting determination. A hero nonetheless. When we meet up with others, we never know what they too are silently facing, and thinking of […]
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 […]
Moose Jaw Saskatchewan – Aug. 10, 2012
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 […]
Our hearts can expand
“If you pour a handful of salt into a cup of water, the water becomes undrinkable. But if you pour the salt into a river, people can continue to draw the water to cook, wash, and drink. The river is immense, and it has the capacity to receive, embrace, and transform. When our hearts are […]
A Bagful of Rocks
A friend once gave me a lumpy grey rock That was shaped like a heart. Ever since then I’ve been looking For another one, one with vibrant colour, Not just a regular, run of the mill rock, But a PERFECT heart rock. Last week, while walking in the rain Another friend picked up a […]
“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
Manning Park, Hampton Campground, July 25, 2012
Manning Park, Hampton Campground, July 25, 2012 If you leave this morning remember why you’re going on the trip – to get some much needed rest, to de-stress, to see beautiful nature and to have fun! So if something is happening that is stopping you from that, then stop and refocus! I believe you will […]
Swift Current, Saskatchewan and clanking noises – Aug. 9, 2012
Aug. 9th Thursday – Swift Current Saskatchewan ($20.00 + tax) I am in SASKATCHEWAN, the third province over from the west coast. I pulled in just before dark, and am now unbagging an instant caesar salad and singing along to John Lennon’s “Come together, gotta be free.” Yeah, right on! Strange words to that song, […]
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 […]
What if I fall?
“There is freedom waiting for you, On the breezes of the sky, And you ask “What if I fall?” Oh but my darling, What if you fly?” ― Erin Hanson Photograph ©Janice Henshaw 2014




















