Journal Keepsake Gift for Mothers

As a genealogist, I'm so excited about the existence of these journals.  I'm too used to sitting for hours in dusty archives, or searching for days on-line, collecting names and dates in lists. 

I can piece together stories.  I can imagine the joy of wedding days; and the tragedies in losses.  I can compare addresses with clues from local history and try to guess what my ancestors saw.  But I will never have all of the story.

One of my most precious belongings is a scrap of paper handed to me by my great-auntie.  She received it, as a teenager, from her own grandmother.  It's a recipe for parsnip wine.

I'm unlikely to ever make parsnip wine, but that's not the point.  That's my great-great-grandmother's handwriting and knowledge, passed on to me.  It's a connection of something real, about a woman who actually lived and whose genes live on in me.

That's just one scrap of paper. These journals are whole pages full of the same.  That's why I really love them.

Those completing these keepsake memoirs appear to fall into two categories. 

They are either new mothers desperately recording all that happens, in between changing diapers and breast-feeding.  Or they are old ladies, being asked the questions while there's still the opportunity to receive an answer.

This doesn't have to be the case.  Mothers can begin their memoirs at any age or in any circumstances.  Some details will never change; and the rest can be up-dated if they do.

For the frantic new mother, the five-second memory journal is most popular.  It doesn't ask too much and can be filled in quite quickly, as the name suggests. This is perfect for those exhausted souls, trying to fit a life around a newborn.

For the older lady, then A Mother's Legacy, which tops this article, is the most popular of all. It is designed so that a child or grandchild can ask questions pertaining to themselves, as well as their mother or grandmother.  It's about a whole life, not just the first few months of a new one.

However, it assumes that the mother is Christian.  Questions are asked about favorite pieces of scripture and hymns.

The best plan is to shop around and find the journal most suited to your own family, instead of merely following the crowd.

By buying your Mom a legacy book to write, you will be telling her, loud and clear, that her life meant something. It is important enough to commit to paper. 

By filling in your own, you are letting those future generations know more about their roots; plus you can write whatever messages that you want to them.  Long after you've gone, your children and descendants will know that you were thinking of them; and that you love them.

It will be a real reaching from the past into a cuddle of words right now.  The perfect legacy and the perfect gift, which goes right on giving.