Page 25 - july 2022

A SEASON OF STORIES

Before It's Too Late

Leanna Lindquist, DTM

“Do you know your family’s stories?” I’m sure The ones I didn’t ask about and walked in the pages long. Not an epic tale, but enough to
many of you do. If you’re like me, you wish write down. My grandparents front door of understand the essence of my grandma. I’m
you knew more. were married for 71 years. I my parent’s home happy to have it.

During the height of the pandemic, our was close to them; I don’t after my dad was Several years ago, I gifted my mother the
family wasn’t together for Thanksgiving or know how they met. How gone. My parents book Mom Tell Me Your Story. It was one of
Christmas. We all missed out on valuable could I not know that? It were married for 70 those fill-in-the-blank books. Who were your
family time, family legend and lore. Before the really bothers me that years and now it was up childhood friends? What was your favorite

vile year known as 2020 ended, so did the life of I don’t have it written to me to bring home, sell, book?
my mother. It was an unexpected loss. I drove down somewhere. give away, or throw away the In my mind she would pull out the book
to Idaho and helped my dad navigate through The phone call came just physical evidence of that long in the evenings and answer a few questions
the mandatory notifications and fill out the after 8:30 Friday morning on June life together. at a time. It would be a keepsake for me and

endless forms. We went through my mother’s 3rd. It was from my dad’s best friend. You’ve probably heard, “it’s my children. Answers to questions we didn’t
clothes, jewelry, and desk and dispersed items “Leanna, your dad died this morning.” At the just material things.” That’s all well know to ask. When she died and I was tasked
as appropriate. My mother was gone, but the age of 93 he was active. He rode his recumbent and good until you are faced with the to write her obituary, I searched for the book
evidence of her long life was still there with my bicycle for miles. He had plans. I had talked to sorting and dispersing of your loved ones as a source of inspiration. In three years, she

dad. Family pictures, her collection of antique him on the phone the day before. He was going prized possessions. I picked up a little porcelain had answered three questions, just three about
cracker jars lovingly collected over the years, to the Senior Center for lunch and to play poker pitcher. I saw it full of piping hot chocolate a life that was almost nine decades long.
and her personal touch in their home. at the Community Center in the evening. And sauce lovingly homemade by my grandma. And so, I ask you again, do you know your
My daughter and I had planned to visit my then he was gone. It was unexpected and it hit To be poured over a bowl of vanilla ice cream family stories? Have you or a family member

folks the spring of 2021 to help my mother with our family hard. for dessert. It’s much more than a material taken the time to ask the questions and capture
spring cleaning and record stories. Why had He was born in Wisconsin in 1928 and thing. It’s memories. It’s stories of a time and the lives of your loved ones? Since my parents
she kept the gold satin comforter in pristine worked a lot of jobs to help his family of people long gone. are gone, it is up to me to keep the stories of
condition in her cedar chest for 70 years? make ends meet. I know he worked in a I picked up various keepsakes and my ancestors alive.

Which great grandma did the depression glass factory. Which one? I don’t remember. I wondered why they were special to my mother. The way I look at it, as long as we are around
belong to? Tell me again about your first job. should have written it down. His maternal Did I owe it to her to pack them up and bring to tell their stories they are still with us.
When she died so did her stories of growing grandfather fought in the Civil War. That is them back to Portland? Which ones were
up in the forest ranger’s house in western well documented in our family. I don’t know attached to meaningful stories and which ones Leanna joined Toastmasters in 2009. She is a past

Montana. I knew some of those stories, but not anything about his paternal grandparents. I could be discarded without a second thought. District 7 Director, current club officer in three
the rich detail one can capture when questions do know lots of details about how he and my When my grandma was 97, she wrote the clubs, budding writer, and a friend, coach and
are asked, and the answers are written down. mother met. That is something. story of her life in longhand on a legal pad. mentor to many.
My grandparents’ stories died that day too. It’s hard to describe what I felt when I I typed it up and made copies. It was four

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