The "Your Life is Your Story" Blog Archives

Read about quality family history and life story news, views, methods, products, links, services

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September, 2007

September 27, 2007

I watched last night's episode of The War: A Ken Burns Film  It was my first opportunity to see one of the episodes and it was moving.  The stories, the images and the production value are all top-notch.

Our WWII veterans are dying at the rate of 1,000 a day.  It is so important to get their stories...to preserve them for others and for the often cathartic experience those veterans have when given the opportunity to finally tells tales they've kept locked up in their hearts for so many years.  Yes, caution should be taken and sensitivity to the storyteller. Don't force the issue. But I believe many will speak if approached properly.

Visit this USA Today posting to see feedback from some people who've been watching The War on PBS and if you know a WWII veteran (family, friend or perhaps casual aquaintance) consider finding someone to help you approach them about preserving their vital part of history.

September 24, 2007

The epic The War: A Ken Burns Film has started airing on PBS television. This has been a lengthy and in depth project for Ken Burns. This director has previously created critically aclaimed documentaries on the Civil War and baseball.

World War II was an intense time for those involved, both overseas and at home.  PBS.org states about the series, "THE WAR is the story of the Second World War through the personal accounts of a handful of men and women from four American towns. The war touched the lives of every family on every street in every town in America and demonstrated that in extraordinary times, there are no ordinary lives."

The Veterans History Project is getting some promotional exposure through this series and that's great as it is so important to capture our veterans' stories.

September 19, 2007

Genealogists love to do research and having the right computer software tools is a big help. Ancestry.com, one of the largest sites on the Internet to conduct genealogical research, recently released a new version of their popular Family Tree Maker.  Apparently it's a bit more complicated than previous versions, but there's help with a "getting started" tutorial.

Read more about it with this article by Sharon Tate Moody, President of the Association of Professional Genealogists, for the Tampa Tribune.

September 17, 2007

One of the most visited annual places in New Mexico is the State Fair in Albuquerque.  I'm sure that's true for some other states that hold big fairs. New Mexico has one of the largest state fairs in the United States.  

The event is September 7-23 andI've been at the fair just about everyday this year (so far).  This is because I work as the promotions director for a top-rated country radio station and this is certainly where our audience is. Rodeos, concerts, livestock exhibitions, arts and crafts, food and more food and an endless parade of interesting people.

An interesting memory prompt to write about would be one of your visits to a state fair.  Think of the smells, the tastes and the sights.  

If you are looking for help in telling your story consider how Your Life is Your Story services may assist you (more here).

September 12, 2007

The sixth anniversary of the 9-11 terrorist attacks on America passed for me without nearly as much attention as the 5th anniversary.  That's not surprising. Five and ten year marks are usually considered more profound.  But that loss of lives and the acts of heroism, courage and compassion of that day are always to be honored and respected.

Visit LivingTributes.com to read the shared memories from people about their friends and families that died on that fateful September day.  The website offers at no charge the space to post these memories.

September 10, 2007

Lest you think your story is not interesting enough, consider this quote from Mark Twain: "There was never yet an uninteresting life. Such a thing is an
impossibility."

September 8, 2007

One of the great writers who appealed to children, young adults and grownups with her wonderful tales of fantasy, humanity and spirituality has passed away. Madeleine L'Engle was 88 and probably best known for the novel, "A Wrinkle in Time".  I enjoyed reading that book with my children.  One of the things I admired about her writing is that she did not write down to the audience, even if much of her audience were young people.

"A Wrinkle in Time," published in 1962, won the American Library Association's Newbery Medal for best children's book. It went through more than 60 printings, was adapted for television and other media and helped establish Ms. L'Engle among the best-selling children's authors of her generation. Surpisingly she revealed that the book was rejected by many publishers before it was accepted.  There's a lesson in perseverance.

You can read more about this major literary figure at this article online from the Washington Post.

September 3, 2007

Today is Labor Day.  This holiday recognizes all workers and is (according to the Department of Labor) "dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers.  It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country."

For many of us a great deal of our life is spent at work.  Hopefully for you it is more than just a job.  There is a saying about that.  J-O-B...just over broke.

Finding work that is meaningfull, uses your talents and is of service to others is a great calling.  I know that many of the people I talk to about their life stories  want to include something about their careers.  I also encourage people who  have created or been influentual with their companies to think about preserving that story. It is a growing trend to have a corporate personal history written.

Some of you may be wondering how to create a business of your own, whether full or part time.  I encourage that too, although you must seriously consider your plan, your passion and your commitment. And you have to put together a success plan that includes the tools and resources to make it work (pun intended).

If you are using the Internet then you certainly want to have a website, but more importantly, build a business, not just a website.  My site was built and continues to be maintained and grown using Sitesell's Site Build It.  It is powerful, but built for everyday people who want success.  It is centered around a plan that takes you through the steps of finding the right concept for your business/passion, building good and relatable content and then monetizing it.  It truly does work (as it has for me and thousands and thousands of others).  Read the profile I wrote of Site Build It and check out a $100 savings that is good until midnight tonight.