Maybe it's true that "nobody wants your parents' stuff," but before you donate their things, tell the stories of your family heirlooms, preserving your memories.

remember lost loved ones, book ideas & inspiration, family historyDawn M. RoodeFebruary 17, 2017what we inherit, family heirlooms as burden, curating family heirlooms, family heirloom stories Comments

Let’s make genealogy a thing of the past

You’ll never eradicate the need for tracing your ancestors’ history. But you can ensure that the next generation will NOT need to search, scour, recreate, or imagine your own generation’s experience. Let's make genealogy a thing of the past for the next generation.

family historyDawn M. RoodeFebruary 2, 2017preserving family history, writing family stories, how to organize genealogy Comments

What you can learn from Gloria Vanderbilt & Anderson Cooper

You might be surprised to learn what Anderson Cooper calls “the most valuable year of my life.” It's the period when he and his mother Gloria Vanderbilt maintained an email correspondence that delved deep—into the feelings they had previously not spoken about, and into their experiences both shared and wholly individual. The back-and-forth format of questions and stories is engaging, and most meaningful in its sense of discovery, of a grown man coming to know his mother in wonderful new ways. Why not be inspired to follow in their conversational footsteps?

family history, memoir & writing, reviewsDawn M. RoodeSeptember 6, 2016Anderson Cooper and Gloria Vanderbilt book, celebrity parents biography, letters to parent sharing life storiesComment

“Billee’s ‘Famous’ Foods”

Gramma Billee kept a jar for bacon drippings on her stove; she used it liberally and kept it full. She knew everyone’s favorite foods and provided them—often.

book ideas & inspiration, family history, memoir & writing, food memoriesDawn M. RoodeAugust 17, 2016grandmother's cooking reminds her of childhood, food is nourishing and food is love, recipes passed down through generationsComment

“Mom’s Spaghetti and Meatballs”

Red sauce ran in her grandmother's blood, and every family member would one day memorize her beloved recipe. Peek into a family kitchen, and a mother's heart.

book ideas & inspiration, family history, memoir & writing, food memoriesDawn M. RoodeAugust 8, 2016spaghetti sauce recipe handed down from grandmother to mother to daughter, the power of red sauce to bring back childhood memories, family passed down recipe through generationsComment

“Pop’s Pie”

Is a grandfather’s love the missing ingredient to the best key lime pie? A young mother delves into memories of the treats her beloved Pop made just for her.

book ideas & inspiration, family history, memoir & writing, food memoriesDawn M. RoodeAugust 2, 2016grandfather's key lime pie, recipes passed down through generations hold meaning, remembering a grandfather through the foods he cookedComment

A taste of the past

Smells and tastes conjure memories in a most primal way, and can transport us right back to our childhood kitchens. Our recipe for preserving your food stories.

book ideas & inspiration, family history, memoir & writing, food memoriesDawn M. RoodeAugust 1, 2016the power of food to recall memories, food related memories through generations, preserving family recipes for futureComment

Why genealogy is not the answer to finding yourself

Genealogy is history on a personal scale. It helps satisfy a deep need to understand how we fit into the broader world around us. But knowledge of our ancestors does not define us. Read on for musings on why we should collect stories, not ancestors.

family history, why tell your stories?Dawn M. RoodeJune 21, 2016do you need to know your ancestors to know yourself, family history and identity, genealogy can help you learn about yourself Comment