By Lauren LaFleur

assistanteditor@jacksonvilleprogress.com

living@jacksonvilleprogress.com



Preserving small family memories may seem a little strange if you’re not accustomed to doing it, but the payoff in years to come is immeasurable.

Your family’s history can be preserved in many ways. Below are just a few ideas to help you begin gathering and saving those precious tidbits you will cherish in years to come.



Journaling

One easy way to preserve your family’s story — both what has already happened and new events as they occur — is in a journal. You don’t have to be a fantastic writer to do this either — just a few notes and thoughts about how your grandparents met, what your college years were like, your thoughts on your niece’s wedding, etc., can serve as a lasting record of where your family came from and where they are headed.

A few things to remember:

• Date your entries so those who read your journal will know when you worked on it and when more recent events happened.

• Include details about the event you want to remember — you will be surprised how many of those will slip from your memory as time passes.

• Add a personal touch — if you’re writing about a conversation with your grandmother, be sure to include how you felt listening to her story, any reactions to her history she may have had, etc.

• Use a format for your journal that is comfortable for you. If you’re a techie person, go ahead and keep a journal on your computer, or better yet a blog so family members far away can read it.



Scrapbooking and photo albums

You don’t need to be an expert scrapbooker to create a lovely keepsake for your family — even a photo album with blank pages will hold your photos (and a little note about the event in the photo) perfectly. Photos of any event — or even non-events, like a Friday night poker game or a spontaneous round of touch football in the back yard — will preserve those precious moments for your family for years to come.

Be sure to use acid-free adhesives and pens, however, so your albums will last forever.



Photo boxes

If you don’t want the hassle of putting your photos into books, store them in decorative boxes. Dividers will allow you to organize them by date, event, family member, or however you want. Write notes on the backs of the photos to record details about why it was taken, or use large index cards to include notes about the photos.



Photo books

Many Web sites now allow you to upload your photos and create a photo book. Beware, though, this can get pricey. An alternative method would be to create and print one yourself, if you have the ability. If not, try a print store — they can help with the design of the books, print and bind them. These make excellent after-the-event keepsakes for family members and friends.



Record it!

Use your video camera, digital voice recorder, or even your old cassette recorder to make a record of an event or even an interview with a family member about their past. You can then go back and review the recording and journal about it, make a transcript of the interview, and preserve the recording so future generations can listen to your grandmother’s voice.



Keep it fun

Make recording your family’s history a fun event for the entire family. Get all generations involved.

Older family members can tell the younger ones about what happened before they were born. Involving everyone will also give everyone a sense of ownership of your family’s history.

• Let each family member make their own photo album, including the photos that are most precious to them.

• Ask everyone to write a letter to themselves in 10 years, recording what life is like now. Then bind these all together.

• Encourage your children to keep journals of their own.

• Record details about interactions between the older and younger members of the family — time has a way of stealing those precious moments, and your record may help your children remember that fishing expedition with grandpa or the day grandma taught them how to make cookies.



Don’t hesitate

The person you would love to talk to about your family’s history today may not be here tomorrow. Don’t wait too long to visit with your family members — especially the older ones — about memories and those precious stories they have to share.



Some of your children or the younger members of the family may groan a little about participating, or they may not completely appreciate these records in their younger years. Persevere, though — your efforts today will be a treasure to them tomorrow.



Do you have any hints or tips for others looking to preserve their family’s history? E-mail them to living@jacksonvilleprogress.com, and we will share it with other readers.