last week with his flight information. He’s booked a flight to Chicago in mid-march because it’s Mom’s birthday. She is turning 85 years old. I won’t go into the particulars, but Paul and I made sure when we got divorced we would retain our status as family members because we loved each of our families and didn’t want that to go away. It’s something my current husband, Grant, had to agree to when we got married. Paul’s partner has a difficult time accepting this, so family gatherings in Seattle don’t include me or don’t include her. It’s sad for me because Paul and I worked hard to have this interconnection but much as I’d love Paul’s partner to accept me, she does not so I move on.

Mom was just out here in Seattle, but Paul didn’t realize the magnitude of Mom’s birthday till after she had gone. So I get this email with his itinerary and invitation to the rest of the family to come along. It’s too short notice.  I can’t go to Chicago during this timeframe. Grant and I are trying to get to the farm in Oklahoma by the end of March, and there are too many variables going on. But I could offer to write Mom’s book, and so I gave that to Paul as an idea, and then he put together an email and sent it to family and friends so they could participate in celebrating Mom’s eighty-fifth birthday.

So during this past week, it’s been a flurry of email communications between cousins, children, grandchildren, friends, and family.  I’m collecting photos, stories, and memories from people so I can give Paul a 7”x10” Softbound Book of Mom’s life before he gets on the plane, March 14th.

It is so much fun to collect these memories now, so Mom knows she is loved before she eventually passes on. I cry at the thoughts, the memories, the weddings we have been a part of with this family. I was so meant to do this for the rest of my life. I’m grateful I have found my calling.

How do you put a price tag on all of this?

It’s a tricky thing. I’ve spent six years trying to have price points that make this affordable for people and allows me to pay bills and keep this company going. So I’m offering this service to you besides the other services I provide because this is time dependent on special occasions. It’s pretty easy to do too. I’d like a month notice, so we have a month to gather your photos, stories and what have you. You can give me a call, and we can talk about your needs, and we’ll set a price then. You can pay for it on PayPal, and then you send out the original email introducing me and including me and I’ll do the rest via emails to get people to participate. 

So, I am not going to Chicago to celebrate Mom’s 85th, but I am the storyteller who is pulling everyone’s stories together so I can put them in a book for Mom to know, how important she has been to so many people all her life.

I wish I could have done this for my parents, but I was raising young children, and there was not the time for me to grab this idea and do it. Instead, I get to do this now for

your families, and this is thrilling.

The art of storytelling is creative and flexible. I am so willing to be creative and flexible so we can get your stories captured in a 7” x 10” softbound book.