My sister KayLynn is guest posting today to talk about the National Day of Listening. I am a huge proponent of capturing the stories of those we love and I think this is a great way to spend our time on Friday. If you have contact with your parents or grandparents, take some time to listen and record what they have to say.
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of year. Good food, family, and reminders all around of all that we have to be thankful for. One thing that has been on my mind lately is how grateful I am for my wonderful family and how they have impacted me in my life. I have shared so many good times, been supported through hard times, and been blessed so much because of my parents and siblings.
This year, as I sit around the dinner table for our Thanksgiving feast, I want it to last longer than just a day. I want to always remember the stories my dad tells about his college days, or the stories my mom tells about her parents and growing up on the farm. More than always remembering the stories, I want my children to be able to know their grandparents and great-grandparents, to know where they got their blonde hair or short legs or patience or ability to make others feel loved. I want to read them bedtime stories of their great-grandfather’s escapades in the Air Force or of their great-grandmother’s love of gardening.
Preserving the stories of our parents and grandparents can seem a monumental task. However, as I have started writing and reading the histories of my family members, I realize that this task is completely worth it—not to mention extremely fulfilling. And to help in the task of recording and preserving your family’s stories, StoryCorps (starting in 2008) instigated a National Day of Listening on the day after Thanksgiving: November 26, 2010. This Day of Listening is basically a day set aside as a time for you to record (in any format) the stories of your loved ones. If you are hesitant on how to begin, read more at myunwrittenlegacy.wordpress.com/, or you can find many resources at nationaldayoflistening.org/.
It’s an important thing, knowing where your family came from and some of their important experiences. Yes, I will work on that soon. Missed national day of listening, but I try for all of next month to work on it! What a good idea!