Storytelling Systems That Invite Your Stories Into A Book. ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ 

We use words, pictures, feelings, a quote, a question in a brief movie to help you remember your story.  ​​ ​​ ​​​​ 

The Word (s):  ​​​​ Lake

Picture taken by​​ Long Beach, IN  

Feeling  ​​ Joy    ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ 

Quote      

“There's only one way to tackle life, enjoy a day at the​​ beach, and jump into a Great Lake: Headfirst!” ― Viola Shipman, The Charm Bracelet

Question      

What lake story do you remember?

My story​​ as an example. Recorded​​ and​​ Transcribed​​ via​​ Google Docs.

Movie​​ Made with​​ Zoom.   

Watch​​ Movie​​ . ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ 

What lake story do you remember?

My Example

Lakes. They come in all shapes and sizes. Some are very small like Green Lake I walk around, and some are very big like Lake Michigan. I'm sure you have a great experience​​ about a lake so today’s storytelling system is remembering one.​​ 

Mine is Lake Michigan. That is the first experience of a lake I have known.

I lived on the south side of Chicago, and my mother had grown up as a child having a summer home in​​ Long Beach, Indiana. Mom had so many fond memories growing up there that she wanted to give this memory to her kids and so our family rented cottage homes (before airbnb​​ ever existed), and I experienced Lake Michigan in this way.​​ 

I loved walking the long stretch of the beach, the waves hitting me in the face or jumping over them or diving below them when I was in the water. I sunburned so I had to always wear a t-shirt​​ over my bathing suit or I would blister. Mom loved picking the dead skin after the blister had popped and my skin was healing.​​ 

I remember the lake as someone to love and someone to fear.​​ Lake​​ Michigan​​ covers four states - Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Lake Shore Drive road (named after​​ Lake Shore Drive​​ in Chicago) was the main road across from the beaches and the lake. There were stops along the drive, and everyone knew each other by what stop they were near. And the talk was always about the erosion of the beach and what houses were going to suffer the most because their beaches had eroded. Some homes got gobbled by​​ Lake Michigan no matter how hard the sandbags and preservation methods were enforced. It was then that I developed a reverence and respect for Mother Nature who always has the last word in this human-made world.​​ 

My Mother retired to Long Beach and bought​​ a home where she lived for the last twenty years of her life. She never ventured any further away from the stop she grew up in as a child. Katie, my oldest, had the benefit of visiting Mom’s beach for her first four years until we moved to Seattle. And when we came back often to visit family in Illinois, Mom and Lake Michigan would also get a visit.​​ 

Mom died in the dead of winter in February. My daughter, Ame, was with me when Mom died. My siblings were there too. We had a funeral for her, but we decided​​ to celebrate Mom’s life in the summer. Summer was Mom’s season because of Lake Michigan and the beach. So that summer, in August, we rented a home near Mom’s house (her home had sold), and everyone in the family came for a long weekend to celebrate Mom’s life.​​ 

We had long walks on the beach; the kids swam in the water, we took turns choosing the knick-knacks of Mom’s life we wanted for our own. The sun shone, and Mom's celebration complete.

What lake story do you remember?

• Beth Lord

Reminders:

1. If​​ this sparks a memory in your heart worth keeping then write it down or

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ record it and put it in a particular folder so you can find it anytime.​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ or​​ Pay $3.50​​ if you want me to hold on to them and we can make a book  ​​ ​​ ​​​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ when you want.​​ 

2.​​ Free online storytelling​​ on M, T, W, Th starts November 5th, 2018

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ They’ll be recorded and available for you too.​​ 

2.​​ Schedule a time​​ to talk to me.​​ $30.00/30 minutes. We’ll have a zoom meeting

 ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ and you’ll get the audio and the video of our time together.​​ 

3.​​ The Memory Activity Book and Journals​​ I’ve written help you get in touch​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ with your stories. Check them out! ​​ 🙂

4.​​ ALSO​​ -​​ Extending The Diamond Package Interview Special​​ from $585.00 to  ​​ ​​​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ $197.00 ​​​​ Why?​​ I want you to have your stories in a book for you to feel and touch  ​​ ​​​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​​​ because that would be the best word-of-mouth marketing I could ever have.​​ ​​ See this blog​​  ​​ ​​ ​​​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ for a​​ good reason why you want to do this.​​ This is my Holiday Special until December​​  ​​ ​​ ​​​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ 31, 2018​​ when this type of pricing is going away forever. ​​ If you want to get the book​​  ​​ ​​ ​​​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ before​​ the holidays then the interview needs to be completed by Nov. 5th and the​​ 

 ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ final proof​​ ​​ with me has to be​​ done by November 15th.  ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​​​​ 

​​ Beth