Month: March 2026

Thank You Writing Your Life Story Writers

Back in September 2022, I joined a local Memoir Writers’ Group (later changed to Writing Your Life Story) at the Evergreen Seniors Community Centre and, for the next 3½ years, I met weekly with a small number of like-minded seniors. Jennifer Blackie, our group leader and facilitator, wrote her life story during the COVID-19 isolation and felt that perhaps others would like to record their life journeys too. She felt led to offer her experience and guide that first group of twelve writers through the process. The initial focus was to record our life story as an autobiography written in chronological order.

We all had a desire to record our stories. I think the reasons for writing our life stories may have differed. Some wanted to write to leave memories for their family. Some wrote truly for themselves as an assessment of their own lives. We all want to know our lives matter. We want to know we left a mark. We value our memories as our legacy and want a record of them left behind. Perhaps our families are not the least bit interested in reading them at this time but, one never knows, there may come a day when they are glad to have the stories and the information and memories they contain. I know my own daughters didn’t value their old journals from school but as they aged and had children of their own, now they do. Some had bigger dreams and hoped that their stories would be of value and interest to a general public. Perhaps they may even be published someday.


I joined the group because I had a memoir-in-progress titled For the Love of Food: Family Edition. It was to be a memoir/cookbook that traced food as a language of love throughout five generations of my family from my grandparents, my parents, myself, my children, to my grandchildren and was to include food-related poems, stories, and recipes from my family history. I had been researching and writing alone for 1½ years and I wanted the company of other writers for encouragement and companionship.
 

In addition, in October 2022, I began a 12-week online course called Memoir Writers, Ink led by teacher Alison Wearing. I wanted to improve my writing and had a lot to learn. Both the weekly WYLS meeting and the online course activities were fun and informative and added to my writing skills. Both gave me a kick-in-the-butt to stick to a regular writing regime.


I love story! We all have them. We all think, “I have nothing of interest to others” but, in the end, we do. Sharing our simple memorable moments is a wonderful way to share our lives and identify with each other or learn new things. Even if we all visit Paris, we each will have a unique story to tell about it from our own perspective. There is value in that.

Week by week, we shared our stories and learned more and more about each other. Sharing our stories began to bond us together in trust and community. We realized we all have happy stories and we all have sad stories and there has been much laughter and some tears over the months and years. The members of the group have become good friends, almost like family. We have become very close and truly care about each other. This is not usual in a writer’s group. Over the years, I have been a member of several writer’s groups and I have never enjoyed any of them as much as I have this wonderful group of people.  

I am grateful for the experience of knowing you all. I have never known such a group of fun-loving and heartfelt people. Thank you to all of you for your openness and respect. Thank you for sharing your lives and allowing me to get to know you so well.

Jennifer, thank you for creating this group, for working so hard to keep us all on track, for offering your encouragement and ideas, and for the extensive work on the anthologies which took hours of time and stacks of paper. Thank you for your generosity in sharing your home with us for some truly epic parties. I’ll never forget our Summer Beach Party complete with fresh mocktails, colourful leis, a patio barbecue, and outdoor games.  What fun we had at our Christmas Party sharing gifts and talents after an amazing meal. And who can forget our Afternoon Tea Party, with scones and clotted cream, china tea pots, and fancy hats and fasteners.


I will miss you all but acknowledge that the time has come to move on to new projects. My book was published in December 2024 and I thank Jennifer and that early group of writers that gave me a platform to share my work and get feedback and encouragement. It was because of your friendship that I stayed on and kept writing for another 1½ years and made more new friends.  I now have so many stories, enough to fill even more books. My Life Story isn’t over yet!

I Read, I Write, I Learn, I Think (A Typical Day)

Now that I’m retired. Now that I live alone. Now that my time is my own. Now that I am almost 74 years old, my daily life has a regular slow pattern.

I wake up and begin my morning routine. I visit the washroom. I make my bed. I make a pot of coffee. I go to the computer and begin.

I read, I write, I learn, I think.

I read. I read it all. The good, the bad, the ugly. Although I can only take so much of the bad as it overwhelms me. Then I seek the good, flood my eyes and mind with wholesome, inspiring, beautiful messages to drown out the darkness. I read the news, I read human interest stories, nature stories, travel tales. I read poetry and prose and short stories, and read about fashion, writing, psychology, art, music, dance. I read about gardening and cooking, birds and children. When I’m done with the computer and the Internet messages, I curl up with my latest book in hand and disappear into another world of words.

I write. I write to friends, emails and Facebook entries. It’s important to stay connected and communicating. I let friends and family know they are important to me. I write ideas in my journal so I won’t forget them. Although I rarely reread them. Sometimes I am deeply inspired and I will create my own words, my own thoughts, like a waterfall pouring out on paper or on my computer screen. When that happens, I will work relentlessly, holding off on coffee or breakfast so that the Muse isn’t interrupted. I can tell when it’s finished its monologue and I can finally listen to my growling stomach or finally wet my dry mouth.  Sometimes I have a goal, I am a very goal-oriented person, and I will work relentlessly on my project, until the idea is complete and on the page. Don’t interrupt me with a phone call when the writing is flowing.

I learn. I am aware that I learn best by listening or reading and then transferring my thoughts to paper through my own keyboard or pen.  As if the repetition of the moving words imprint more deeply upon my brain cells, fire along the neuron pathways and embed their message into my body and soul, where they will last. Words are important to me but so are visuals. Beautiful photos. Art work. Colour, details, creative expressions, speak as powerfully as words to me. That’s why I love photography, my own as well as others. Photos are a way of stopping, examining, listening, seeing the world close-up and suspended in time. Some capture beauty. Some tell a story. Some pare the world down to its most important details. Some make me laugh. Some bring tears to my eyes. The best say Stop and look with me. Linger a while. Do you see it too?

I think. I fill myself up with ideas and information and then sit quietly and contemplate their meaning and place in my life. I dream, make connections, wander through memories, and make new links of knowledge in my brain.

Every day, I talk. One of my three daughters often calls me, Maegan on her long drive to her next client, Brittany during her solo walk to work along Toronto streets. Lara less often, but when she finds a quiet moment at home or in her car. Sometimes I will hear from Maegan more than once a day. I think I help her long drives to go a little faster. Harold phones me every night at 9:30 p.m. and we usually talk for at least ½ hour.

I socialize. Visits with my best friend Sandy, monthly lunches with my retired RR Alumni teacher friends, my Writing Your Life Story group, my Photo Club. I see Harold for three days of the week, either at his home in Orangeville, or mine in Guelph. I visit with my daughters and families whenever I can, at least once a month. That isn’t always easy as Brittany lives in Toronto, Maegan north of Barrie, and Lara in Orangeville. We always celebrate holidays with family, both mine and Harold’s.

During afternoons, I will continue with a new book or a new writing project if I have one on the go.Otherwise, I will do household chores, both inside or out. I grab my camera and take some photos. I go shopping. I plan meals. I love to cook, trying out new recipes or creating my own by checking “What’s in the Fridge or Pantry.”

Evening hours are spent in front of the TV which is purposely put in my rec’ room in the basement. I usually only watch evening programs; the news, game shows, American Idol, America’s Got Talent, The Voice, Dancing With the Stars, documentaries or movies. Oh, and Grey’s Anatomy. Can’t miss that. I love a good variety of movies, both old and new, comedies and romance, science fiction and action films.

By 11 p.m. I’m usually ready for bed.

I love being retired. I love having me time to do whatever I wish. I love having solitary, quiet time at home. To break my daily routine, I do enjoy gardening, camping, fishing, canoeing, volunteering at the annual Hillside Music Festival, road trips, and international travel.

Life is good.