A Gift That Keeps On Giving
Last Christmas my niece gave my mother, who is now in her nineties, a fantastic present that benefitted the entire family. She purchased a subscription to “Storyworth” an online service that provides a year of weekly story prompts which culminate in a hardcover book.
It was truly a remarkable gift, one that I enjoyed immensely, as each week I had the chance to sit down with my mom and type while she dictated the answers to the questions my niece had selected. These ranged from inquiries into her childhood, her career and how she met my father to broader topics such as her thoughts on religion, family relationships, world travel and a wide range of subjects. Storyworth provides a series of suggested prompts, but you can select your own.
When all the stories are complete, you are given an online mock-up of the book to which you can add photos throughout and a cover photo. You can select the color of the cover and, at an additional cost, choose to run color photos throughout the book. The cost of service and one book is $99. Additional books cost more.
There may be other services like Storyworth, but this is the one my niece selected. The result, a book with so many of my mom’s memories, is truly priceless, as was the time I spent with her as she dictated them to me. We ordered books for each of her five grandchildren and as she approaches the years when her memories start to fade, we will all have an account of her history to keep for years.