I see Susan Boyle came in second place in Britain’s Got Talent on the weekend.  I’ve watched the clip of the announcement and I think she looked almost relieved.  It’s funny how we all think first place is the only acceptable outcome when life is so full of twists and turns sometimes that’s not the right result.  I’ve always loved the saying success is in the journey, not the destination.  Somehow despite meteoric rise to fame I think Susan Boyle has much more journey to make.

I like this blog and I love the convenience of Facebook and e-mail but after talking to a historian yesterday I’m realizing these digital marvels are going to change the way future generations learn about the past. It’s possible that in 50 years time we won’t have boxes of love letters to pore through to learn about our parents’ romance. When every thought we have disappears into the netherworld of Twitter will we still have diaries and journals that reveal private thoughts? All the more reason to make sure you record your personal history whether you do it yourself or come to LifeTales. There needs to be more of your life left for your great-grandkids than invisible bits and bytes lost in cyberworld.

Like the rest of the world I am starting to tire just a little of hearing about Susan Boyle.  As much as I loved discovering the video in the first place I’ll be happy now simply to listen to her CD when she makes one.  But I did start thinking about Susan Boyle’s mum.  Bridget Boyle raised 10 children, Susan being the youngest challenged by learning disabilities.   I think Bridget must have been a woman of great fortitude, a trait she clearly passed along to her daughter.  She obviously had great faith in Susan’s talent, apparently making her promise to audition for Britain’s Got Talent.  They clearly had a good relationship with Susan opting to care for her at home until she died.   I wonder where Bridget developed her strength?  I wouldn’t mind hearing her LifeTale.

My mum was a woman possessing a similar core of strength and managed somehow to instill one in me too.  I found out only after she died how that core was formed, tried and tested during her childhood.   To all these indominable women, their mothers and their daughters, Happy Mother’s Day.

I’m writing this with tears in my eyes from watching a fantastic story unfold on YouTube.  If you haven’t heard about Susan Boyle you must watch this video from Britain’s Got Talent.  It’s the story of what seems on the surface to be an unremarkable woman living alone in a Scottish village with her cat.  She’s 47 years old and never been married, never been kissed.  One might wonder what she could possible have to leave the world in the story of her life.  But mark my words there will be a movie made about her before long.  And the marriage proposals and offers of kisses are already appearing.  Watch the video, enjoy and realize that everyone has a tale to tell.

We all have different reasons for wanting to preserve our life story. On a trip to Egypt last year I was fascinated to see the stories written in hieroglyphics at the tombs of anyone who could afford to be buried in a tomb. The stories served multiple purposes. The tomb carvers (or personal historians of the time) would include small details known only to the resident of the tomb. That allowed the individual to claim the right body when the soul returned as many Egyptians believed it would. The writing was also an attempt to win a place in the afterlife by laying out all the achievements and good deeds of a life. I was particularly touched by tombs in the Deir al Medina (Village of the Workers) where the tomb carvers had claimed the practise of the wealthy for themselves.

The ancient Egyptians may have had different reasons than we do for recording personal histories but I do think, like the ancient Egyptians, we do want to explain our lives, reflect on the meaning and pass along whatever wisdom we’ve learned to generations yet to come. Maybe your words, recorded today, will echo centuries from now.

Hello everyone,

I’m so excited that we’ve finally got this new website up and running with many thanks to Beth Doman at Sun Dog Graphics.  I’ve wanted to build a new image for LifeTales for some time now and couldn’t be happier with our new logo and new look.  Please feel free to let me know what you think in the comments section.

When I speak about LifeTales, particularly with seniors, I often hear “I don’t think I’ve lived an interesting enough life to record my story.”  Nothing could be further from the truth.  Everyone has at least a few stories of interest to their family because a grandmother’s experiences and knowlege imparted become part of her grandaughter’s sense of self, of belonging to family, of being.  The small memories you might not think are important reveal who you are not only to your children but to generations yet unborn.  If you want to hear a good example of this head to the sample page and listen to the story of Ruby & Noly’s first kiss.  So don’t worry about having tall tales of derring-do, but do record the real story of your life.