Honoring Moms

Mom working on her Mini-Memoir

Happy Mother's Day
I'd like to wish everyone a wonderful Mother's Day in this beautiful month of May. I, personally, don't expect a great deal of fanfare for Mother's Day, but I do want to brag a little bit about my Mom. She's amazing, independent, loving, caring, resourceful, spiritual, and an inspiration to me. To know that every day I have a Mom who prays for me and for our entire family is a blessing that I can't even describe in words. It literally brings me to tears. I can tell her anything, and she's a willing listener. I can be silly, and she will laugh. If I'm sad, she'll cry right along with me. Every time I visit with her, we have a time of prayer together before I leave, and this has cemented a bond between us that no distance will ever separate. So this is a special tribute to my Mom, Clara. So much love to you, Mumsy.

Upcoming Workshop Announcement
On two Mondays, June 14 and 21, 2010, I'll be teaching another "Writing Your Treasured Memories" workshop series from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at The Sand Trap Room, located at Tupelo Bay Golf Center in Garden City, SC. Learn how to easily write your life stories to share with future generations. Or if you have older parents/relatives, learn how to capture their stories while they are still obtainable. Call me at 843-215-4676 for additional information or to register. Don't lose your family history! Please spread the word to others who may be interested!!

Memoir Writing
I am working on a publication relative to the process of working with parents and loved ones to preserve their stories. In my research, I heard from Carol Berman, President of City Girl Media, http://www.citygirlmedia.com. She talks about her experience in working on her Grandmother's memoirs, a process that has spanned the past eight years. She says, "Grandma was cooperative. She loves to tell stories. And I made sure there was the absolutely lowest-tech option for her to record them: a cassette player and a load of blank tapes. I told her not to worry about chronology, just talk into the tape recorder when she remembered a good story. Then I had a family member transcribe the tapes and I tried to put it all in order. I had Grandma review the stories and she had corrections. When she "re-remembered" the stories seeing them in print, some details needed to be changed. I guess I'll never know in some cases which was actually correct!"

What a treasure it will be for Carol's relatives to forever enjoy those stories! It is so worth the effort.....A special thank you to Carol for sharing her experience.

Incredible Books
A few years ago, I attended a conference in NYC, sponsored by the International Women's Writing Guild. I met some fascinating ladies, all at various stages of completion in their writing projects. That is where I connected with Judy Abrams, who was working on a book that would compile the stories of Holocaust survivors. Her book was published in 2009, and it is truly a book of inspiring stories that I'll always remember. Written from the recollections of a frightening time that these people experienced as children, it is such a gripping perspective. The name of the book is Remember Us: A Collection of Memories from Hungarian Hidden Children of the Holocaust. God bless Judy Abrams and Evi Blaikie, along with all of the Hidden Children Contributors to the book, for publishing this history.

I heard recently from Jeanette Friedman, who co-authored a book with David Gold, entitled Why Should I Care? Lessons from the Holocaust. She also interviews Holocaust survivors to obtain their memories, a challenging--yet rewarding experience. I applaud Jeanette for seeking to preserve the stories of folks who have undergone such tragedy and pain. It is so important to capture history through the eyes and hearts of those who have actually experienced it.

Memoir Writing Boot Camp Cruise
I am investigating the possibility of formulating plans for a 2011 Memoir Writing Boot Camp Cruise. This will be for beginners, as well as those who are in different stages of their memoir writing projects. There will be loads of free time, in addition to seminars and writing time. I'll keep you posted as the details emerge. If you think you might have an interest, depending upon the plans which are finalized, please let me know so we can be certain to keep you apprised! This would be a fabulous time!!

Stay tuned......