Life Story Links: June 3, 2025

“You are the landlord of your own soul. Let the words, the memories, the imaginings pour white-hot onto the page. You can decide later what they are, what they might become, and when it is time to show them to someone else.”
—Pat Schneider, Writing Alone and with Others

Vintage postcard depicting a black-and-white photograph of children on the shore at an Asbury, Park, New Jersey, beach, postmarked 1933, from the personal ephemera collection of Dawn Roode.

Writing comes and goes

‘THE SILENCE KEEPS ITS COUNSEL’
“I’d hoped I could find words, or they would find me, to share my thoughts about life, memories, and spirit during this period of mourning after my son’s death,” Linda Joy Myers writes. “I discovered I couldn’t rush anything. I sat with no words longer than I ever have in my life, and now they are returning.”

WHEN STORIES SURFACE
“Some moments in life are so powerful, they don’t just mark time—they open a doorway to our memories and to how to live more fully in the present.” Sacred Stories’ Whitney Myers on the power of life transitions to invite reflection.

GOALS: WRITE EVERY DAY
“Every time I showed up to write, there was always something to say if I listened for it. The problem was that I ‘thought’ before I acted, and felt ‘fear’ before the freedom that came in trying.”

The stories of our lives

CREATING A FAMILY ORAL HISTORY
“As a new mother herself, [Nicole Wong] realized she’d become ‘the person who holds the information now’—and that time was of the essence to capture it from her parents.” The author’s quest to learn Mahjong from her parents’ generation turned into a deep exploration of family history—and here, her experience is used as a jumping-off point for valuable guidance on interviewing your family members like an oral historian.

PRESERVE YOUR FAMILY HISTORY LIKE AN ARCHIVIST
“You never know what will have value in 50 years, or what will help be evidence to fill in pieces of a puzzle later on.” KQED spoke to experts on how to best preserve family documents, digitize records, and how best to connect with organizations who may be interested in your personal archives.

REMEMBERING THE FALLEN, ANY TIME
Memorial Day may be passed, but I hope you’ll be inspired by these three ways to honor the legacy of someone who died in service, whether or not you have a family member who served and died for their country.

Miscellany

FRIEND—AND BIOGRAPHER
“In composing his biography, the wonderfully titled Peace Is a Shy Thing, Vernon appears to have tracked down most every individual who crossed paths with [Tim] O’Brien and had an interesting anecdote to tell.”

USING TECH TO STAY CONNECTED
Discover when and how to use digital tools with someone who has dementia, what types of tech can stimulate storytelling and memory, how to record and preserve family history and legacy, and more in the following conversation: