Every family has its cherished stories.
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- how and when the great-grandparents came to America.
- that account of how mom and dad met.
- the early dreams they had for their children.
- favorite stories of family traditions, holidays, childhood pets, homes, epic reunions.
- what the family believes is most important about life.
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More than just stories
These tales are more than quaint bits of family history. Children derive something special from hearing them. They help shape a young girl or boy’s identity. They meet a deep human need to belong to our own special group. They connect children to relatives who love and celebrate them in a way unique to family. They provide part of the answer to a profound heart question, “Who am I?” And these classic family tales provide children with an early road map to the best quality of life. For example, there are stories about grandparents that plant motivational seeds such as, “Grandma and grandpa worked hard to provide what we enjoy. Your approach to work could do the same.” And for those of us who are people of faith, this generational hand-off of family stories is especially significant. This is testimony time when our young ones hear about joyful past encounters with God that could one day be their experiences.
We can help
That is where our Chasing Fireflies project Heritage2Legacy comes in. We want to help ensure that you and generations to come can relive your family milestones, funny and serious, the moments that connect you as family and define your family culture. We are thinking especially of those who don’t feel confident about their storytelling skills. We can help. We call these tools Heritage2Legacy because stories are one way to transform the best of your clan’s past into your hoped-for family future. Storytelling helps take the family heritage handed you, or that you have started, and pushes it toward legacy.
Examples of our new Heritage2Legacy resources include periodic themes you could adopt for your storytelling, a featured book you could read then bounce off of with a similar story from your childhood, an example of a print and audio memory prompts, and other tools designed to get you started and to build your storytelling prowess.
Join us as we create a legacy for the little ones in our families.
Gil & Deni
Subscribe to Chasing Fireflies Podcasts on iTunes
Our H2L trifold brochure .pdf
