50+ Lifestyles

Turning Your Memories Into Memoirs

By Darrell Lietz
Ridgecrest Village resident

In her book, Your Legacy Matters, Rachel Freed writes, “ Imagine that you are leaving for a vacation or a business trip and you have not told your kids everything you want them to know – about you, about what matters most to you, about what you hope for them, that you love them beyond measure……What if fate has it that you don’t return?” As a small child, I liked to listen to the stories that one of my grandfathers told when he was visiting my family. He often said as he grew older, that he would like to preserve some of his stories for his children/grandchildren. Unfortunately, like most of us, his life was too busy and the family kept putting it off. As he aged, his memory began to fade and he was no longer able to recall his stories.

As an adult I wish I knew more about how he deserted the German army while serving on the Russian Front during World War I, how he left his wife and toddler son behind in Germany as he migrated to the United States, and how he established his united family in The Midwest three years later. Unfortunately, these stories are now gone.

Many people when they retire do have intentions to write their story and share it with their children. Unfortunately, the story is never written. Perhaps it is because they believe the task is too big and they don’t know where to start, perhaps they feel that their life was uninteresting and no one would want to read their story because they have nothing to write about, or perhaps they do want to share their story but they suffer from writer’s block and don’t know how to begin and need someone to motivate and help them write and complete their story.

You do have a story to tell. If you don’t tell that story, who will? We love our ancestor’s stories but what about your own? Stories are history if not preserved. You need to overcome the perception that you have not done anything special and do not have a wall full of awards. You have lived, you have existed, and you have experienced life. You have discovered your strengths, your values and your shortcomings. These things make you unique. It is important to preserve each of these. The most meaningful gifts we leave our loved ones come from the heart.

Writing Our Life Reflection Story is both a responsibility and a blessing that should not be put off. Writing these stories helps the writer discover what really matters. Marjaleen Soehl, a Ridgecrest resident, discovered this as she wrote her memoir, Oh Please Remember Me. When I asked what motivated her to write her story, she said, “I wanted to leave a legacy for my children.”

When you take our class you will find it easier to write your story than you thought.  As a class participant you are encourage to begin by writing short stories that stand out in your memory.  The short stories get your mind working and before you know it you have written many short stories that become your story.

The Ridgecrest Retirement Village is hosting a Writing Your Life Reflection Story class

(Turning Your Memories into a Memoir) beginning on April 19, 2018 at 10:00 a.m. in the Northridge Party Room. The class will meet for a minimum of six weeks for one hour each week. There is no charge for the class, but participants may wish to purchase a workbook which contains many suggestions for sharing individual experiences of life and wisdom. The cost of the workbook is $10.00.

If you are interested in the class and would like to pre-register, please call (563) 391-3430 Karen McCoy, Ridgecrest Marketing Consultant or Mary Huebbe, Ridgecrest Marketing Director.