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Such Wonderful Life Stories

Such Wonderful Life Stories

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 In May, I had the pleasure of teaching a course “A Taste of Personal History” at the Life Long Learning Institute in Goshen, Indiana. It was an amazing experience for me to talk with an engaged audience, present themes and story ideas for them to write about and then listen to the wonderful short stories they had to tell about their experiences.

I appreciate every one of them.  With nearly sixty-five people in the course, unfortunately, we couldn’t hear everyone’s story each session, and there was no shortage of volunteers willing to share their stories.  I laughed as they recounted adventures and experiences; I was touched by the life lessons they shared; I was amazed by those who persevered through challenging life circumstances. Many came up to me before each session or stayed after to discuss stories they wanted to tell or weren’t sure if they should tell. Some shared stories with me individually; a couple gave me books they had already written about their life; some shared resources they’d found themselves and one nice woman even clipped cartoons for me that she thought I’d enjoy.  And I did enjoy them– I’m looking at them again right now. 

This was a very giving group, who was very willing to participate. I hope for all those who attended the class is that you now have a list of stories that you can continue to write about and in no time have a collection of many short stories. Please keep writing – you have an amazing story to tell.

Thank you for sharing your stories with me.   

What Is Personal History?

What Is Personal History?

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Now that I’ve shared that I’ve started my personal history business, you may be wondering what personal history is and what this is all about.

Simply put:

Personal History = Your True Life Stories

That answered everything, didn’t it?

Personal History can take on many forms:  autobiography, biography, memoir, video, audio, books, tributes, legacy letters and more. Some people journal or write their own life stories. Most people have good intentions but lack the time, resources, skill or desire to do the work themselves. That’s where I come in.

As a life story writer and personal historian, I work with clients individually, as a couple or family group, communities, businesses or organizations to save stories in a narrative form for future generations.

Sometimes when I mention this, people will say “I’ve lived an ordinary life; no one would be interested in my story.” That couldn’t be further from the truth. In just the past few generations, consider how much has changed in the world and how we live and even interact with each other. In my Guided Autobiography Workshops, I present a one hundred year history of the telephone and ask people to identify with one model and tell a story about it. Something as simple as pictures of telephones, reveal stories about party lines, talking with operators, payphones, the beginning of cell phones, and the ease of FaceTime and Skype for communicating. Everyone had a story to share and often when one person begins others will chime in with “I remember that!” or “That’s how it was at my grandparents!” Within moments, short stories and shared experiences connect people. And I love it.

If you’ve lived, you have a story to tell and I want to help you save it.

Remember: I’m here when you are ready to tell your story.

Blue Sky Life Stories, LLC
Dawn Szabo
574-298-1254
dawnszabo@blueskylifestories.com

An Introduction

An Introduction

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Hello. I’m Dawn Szabo, owner of Blue Sky Life Stories, LLC. And now, I’m a first-time blogger.

Isn’t that how people on the radio often start out? “Long-time listener, first-time caller?” Or, something like that? It’s the same for me. I’ve read blogs and now here I am, writing my first blog.  Yeah!

I’m excited to get this started. Since beginning my personal history business I’ve listened a lot, learned a lot and I can’t wait to share it with all of you. But as I get this going, my first order of business is to ensure that this isn’t just a blog that few people read and doesn’t accomplish anything. I have goals which are to:

  • connect people through the telling of life stories,
  • help you recall stories that you forgot you remembered, and
  • inspire you to find ways to save your stories for future generations.

I want to hear from you if a post helps you remember a story from your life, that of another relative, or gets you thinking about saving stories. I’m listening. Please share your story.