Why I'm Launching "Your Story Unfolded"

 “Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten years?” Were you ever asked that question in a job interview? I was. And I can assure you that my answer was never, “I plan to launch a business as a personal historian.” But here I am … on the precipice of a new unknown … glancing at corporate America in my rearview mirror while turning my gaze forward to the rich world of story, family history, relationship, and legacy. 

​The idea for this business began germinating several years ago, not because of any deep understanding of the importance of capturing family stories, but more from an innate love of listening and writing, a desire to know what other people think and feel, a curiosity about where people come from, why they do what they do, and how they end up where they are. And somewhere inside, I think I instinctively understand how important it is for our stories to be told, especially to our loved ones.

I regret that these musings didn’t strike sooner, before my grandmother passed away. She’s the only grandparent I ever knew. The others died before I was born or when I was quite young. But Granny was very present in my life, living just down the street from my childhood home, in the same house where she raised my mother and my uncle (mostly as a single mother because her husband died at age 44). Born in 1902, Granny lived almost 102 years. What changes she saw in her lifetime! I wish I had asked her more questions. I wish I had recorded interviews with her so I could hear her voice now. I wish I knew more about how she felt about things – her small-town life, motherhood, the hardships of being widowed so young, the societal changes happening all around her, growing older.

Granny on her Wedding Day

My Dad as a Young Child

And then … just three and a half years ago, my father died rather suddenly and unexpectedly. Luckily he is featured in many of our family videos. We also have a beautiful recorded interview with him that my daughter conducted years ago for an elementary school project. So I can see him and hear his voice. But I don’t have his full story. I don’t know the details of his childhood or his college days or his two years as an officer in the Navy – just the bits and pieces I can remember and that my mother tells me. How will my daughter remember his story, and how will any children she may have know who their great-grandfather was?

Our stories matter. They matter to us and to the people who love us. There is growing research that indicates the sharing of one’s story and learning the details of our family’s past is beneficial to our physical and mental health. I’ll be discussing some of this research in future posts. But for now, I’ll stop here with an encouragement to capture your loved one’s stories, thoughts, and memories while they are still here with you. Whether you tackle this project yourself or hire someone like me to help, the important thing is to do it.

Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die,
we can’t remember who we are or why we’re here.

~ Sue Monk Kidd