Bring your Family’s Story to Life with this Year-End Activity

It’s so hard to believe that this year is almost complete. I feel like it was just yesterday that I was wondering what the next twelve months would bring. Today, I’m a little in awe by all that it did bring. Some of it amazingly good, some epically eh and definitely a bit of “I wanna stay in bed with the covers over my head..”  As I journaled about it all, I remembered a mentor who has once said, “Jules, the story of your life is being written every single minute” and “The days may feel long, my friend, but the years are oh-so-short.”

As a mom of three teenagers, I am ever so aware that time goes by too fast. From the time kids are born, it is so easy to get caught up in the chaos of naps, the tedium of tantrums, and drain of schedules. I’m the first to raise my hand and admit that I spent quite a bit of time in their early years wondering if fast-forwarding all the clocks in the house would get them to bed sooner. As they grew, I wanted to trade those moments of helping out with homework so I could clean the house or start dinner. In their mid-teens, I sat, white-knuckled and a little harried, wishing that I could just pay someone to teach them how to drive rather than do it myself. Now, as my oldest is getting ready to graduate in a few months and my younger two are at this heels, I realize that these moments rushed by. And, these were the moments that were part of my story and theirs.

The reality is that every minute of every day is the story of your life and your children’s lives. It is those moments - the good, the bad, and the meh - that your family’s memory bank is built.

As you move into the holiday hullabaloo, I wanted to share my own teen-approved activity to lean into our life story. This next week, carve out some time to have each of your family members write out the moments that caught their attention, the memories that are creating their own story. Yes, the memory could be a milestone like getting a driver’s license or taking an unforgettable vacation. Or maybe the memory is the night you burnt dinner (again) but ordered pizza (again) and watched movies with your teen. Or perhaps it was when you caught your teen folding laundry. Or maybe it was when you held your daughter when she cried or how you listened when your son vented. If we don’t acknowledge those moments and embrace those memories - no matter how big or small - each passing day and year, they can fade.  So, this year keep those memories alive by acknowledging them and loving one another.

Wishing you much love and happiness over the holidays.