As Erickson’s later life stage suggests it is natural to want to pass on our knowledge and experiences to future generations. As the pace of our society rapidly changes and the decisions we make reflect our changing priorities the need to respect and appreciate our heritage only increases. With the vast distances between us and emails, texts and facebook replacing the more classic traditions of telling stories around the kitchen table the process of writing your story has become more important.

Sadly I know from experience that when your parents pass, they take with them all of the memories and experiences you will never know. There is nothing more precious to you and your children than capturing these stories!

Family members can benefit greatly from information gathered in the life story about their loved ones and research supports that writing down the stories that shape you as individuals and influence your family is one of the most important things you can do. For future family and generations the opportunity to gain insight into their past provides them with security and family legacy.

The process of creating a life story provides links within family history and strengthens family connections, creating a sense of belonging and enhancing our sense of family identity within the context of family generations and changing times. Learning from past generations fosters strong and resilient families, helping us to understand we are a part of something bigger than ourselves. It also allows us to see our family’s strengths and to learn from their experiences and mistakes they’ve made.

We all perceive our loved ones from a unique perspective and with the creation of a life story we get a glimpse into the other parts of a person we didn’t know which permits us to form a greater understanding of who they are. This in turn helps us to understand ourselves.

A student nurse said when interviewing his grandfather ‘It was hard for me to imagine my A student nurse grandfather being a young child. I had never thought of him as a child, teenager or even as a young adult. He was always ‘old’ to me. Hearing about him playing soldiers with his friends in the pine forests of his youth allowed me to see him as more than just my grandfather. I saw a boy who had grown up!’