Save a Life...In a StoryWritten by Marcia Passos Duffy
Continued from page 1
A life story is more than genealogy, more than names, dates and places listed on a family tree. A life story -- or personal history -- tells fascinating stories behind those facts and brings a family tree to life. It can include: * A spectrum of an individual's life, or a memoir focusing on a particular event or period of time. * A family history bringing ancestors to life through stories behind statistics on a family tree. * A history of a community, organization or group as told through stories of people involved. A personal historian is usually also a journalist or skilled interviewer who knows how to ask open-ended questions and listen carefully. While many elders can be a bit self-conscious – and maybe even wary at first – about telling their life story (many elders were brought up in an era when it was considered vain to talk about themselves), personal historians are very good at making people feel at ease. Most people warm up very quickly to a listener who cares about recording these stories. The process involves getting “facts” of a person’s birth and family history – sometimes from other family members. The fun part begins when personal historian sits down and interviews person – usually in his or her home – with a digital recorder. This is done over a period of 2 or 3 days, in two-hour sessions. The interviews are then transcribed, edited for clarity, placed in “chapters” according to themes in a person’s life, such as “Childhood,” “The War Years,” and “Married Life.” The book – which usually takes about 30-40 additional hours to transcribe, edit, revise and prepare -- can range between 100 to 200 pages. There are many creative ways books can be presented, and a personal historian usually has many options including as simple as an attractive cloth-covered three-ring binder to a fully-bound leather book with color photographs. Often a personal history is ordered as a gift – for a holiday or special birthday or anniversary. Frequently, family members pitch in to share cost – which often begins at around $1,200 - $1,500. Additional books are usually ordered for an extra cost. In many cases several copies of book are ordered and some donated as well to local or university libraries, which value them as unique community historical resources. People are certainly becoming more aware of value of recording a family’s personal history. After all, what greater legacy can a person leave their family than stories of their lives? We have found that even most “ordinary” life has “extraordinary” stories. We believe every one of us has an important story to tell. As one 92 year old woman we once interviewed said after we handed her completed 120 page book on her life: “I always knew I had a book in me…now when is movie coming out?”
About the author: Marcia Passos Duffy is a freelance writer and co-owner of LifeStories, a personal history business she operates with business partner, Jenny Wojenski. For more information, visit the LifeStories website at www.NewEnglandLifeStories.com or call them at 603-357-8761, or 603-358-3350, email: info@newenglandlifestories.com
| | Terri Schiavo's GiftWritten by Dr. Vicki Rackner
Continued from page 1
The papers summarize important conversations you need to have with your doctor and with those you love. Give those who will make choices as clear a roadmap as possible. You will be asked to make choices for others you love, like your parents. This is a good time to approach them with this delicate conversation. Say, *Mom and Dad, I’m so happy that you’re in good health. It’s painful to even consider your final days. I love you and want to make sure your wishes are honored, even if you can’t state them yourself. If you cannot speak for yourself, who would you like to speak for you? What would you want if you were in Terri Schiavo’s condition?* If you find yourself in a position of making choices for someone you love, remember this. Your job is not to make choice you think is best. Your job is to make choice you think your loved one would make for himself or herself. You can honor Terri Schiavo’s life and legacy by planning for your own death. Hopefully you will die in peace and comfort, surrounded by those you love. By communicating your end-of-life wishes in advance, you offer a gift to those you leave behind. And in deciding how to die, may you get a renewed vision of how you want to live. Copyright (c) 2005 Vicki Rackner, MD. All rights reserved. Get tools to live a healthier live and bounce back from illness more quickly in Dr. Vicki's teleclass series "The Healthy Way to be Sick." For more information visit: http://www.medicalbridges.com/registration.html
Vicki Rackner, MD, president of Medical Bridges, is a board- certified surgeon who left the operating room to help employees become active participants in their health care. She is a consultant, speaker and author of the *Personal Health Journal*,and author/editor of *Chicken Soup for the Healthy Heart Soul*. Dr. Rackner can be reached at http://www.MedicalBridges.com or (425) 451-3777.
|
