It will soon be here. Memorial Day is a day we set aside to honor those U.S. military personnel who served in the armed forces. 

My father was in the Navy during World War II, serving aboard the USS Crater. I don’t know anything more than that. There was never any mention that he was too traumatized to share his experience, and if that had been the case, my mother would have cautioned me from asking him questions. He gave me a shell necklace he brought back from the Philippines during his service, and I foolishly didn’t ask any questions. I was a self-absorbed teenager at the time, and I simply thanked him. Now I wonder. What was his time like there? Had he visited with the local people who made the necklace? Since he’d been raised on a rural Wisconsin farm, had the shell-laden beaches and turquoise waters awed him? Had he been worried that he’d be called to the front? 

If only he had recorded a few stories about his time in the Navy, I would be able to know more. And it isn’t just his time serving his country, I want details about unique events such as raising an owlet that hunted with him, and teaching a crow to talk. By the time he got a diagnosis of liver cancer at age 55, he was too ill to visit. Three months later, he was gone. 

This column is a plea to you, dear readers, to record and share your life stories with your children and grandchildren and prevent them from wishing they knew them. I can hear you saying, “But I don’t have anything special to say.” My father probably thought that too, but he was wrong. Many descendants want to know their family’s history and understand where they’ve come from.

Chances are that once you’re gone, people will say, I wish I had asked (fill in your name) and found out more about (fill in a subject). So here’s your assignment. (Sorry, it’s the teacher in me.) Set aside time, maybe an hour a week, such as every Monday morning, to write or record memories. If you have difficulty with motivation, consider enlisting a writing buddy to check in with weekly or join them for a writing session.

To get you started, here are some writing prompts. Get a recorder, a spiral notebook, or open a Word document. For another option, invest in Storyworth, https://bit.ly/3SidlUT, which will send you prompts and then preserve your writings into a keepsake book. 

You, and those who follow you, will be glad you took action.

This is my happiest childhood memory. My saddest.

This is the event in my childhood that had a huge impact on my life.

This is the story of a schoolmate.

This is what I learned about myself in high school.

This is the story I love to tell when my siblings are gathered around.

This is something I did that I never thought I’d do.

This is the greatest challenge of my life.

This is a humorous piece about the time …

This is the story of the person who crushed me.

Write about someone you’d like to see again.

Write about the lost love of your life.

Write about your favorite or least favorite teacher in grade school.

Write about a bully.

Write about a picture in one of your albums that people will wonder about.

Write about a family mystery.

Write about a vacation.

Write about cousins.

Write about your most memorable pet.

Tell about an embarrassment.

Tell about a memorable Halloween, Christmas, or birthday.

Tell about a favorite family recipe.

Tell what you will miss when you die.

Your writings might help people with similar problems or deepen your connection to people who love you. Don’t delay. Begin today.