“It’s almost as tall as me. Bet you didn’t know it grows as big as this house!”
It was only a brief moment of conversation, but through it our relationship grew.
Have you ever wondered how jotting down your memories can lead to the energizing and connecting of families…for generations?
Believe it or not, a clue to how this works came to me when I saw a tray of succulents in 2020. It reminded me of an ever-present sight during my growing-up years.
Our kitchen windowsill was always home to at least one terra cotta pot with a spiky green aloe vera plant on the ready to soothe. After Mom had pinched off the tip and slathered the ooze on a burn, all seemed right with the world again.
My brother, sister or I could relax with the knowing that healing was already underway. Not only in our skin, but also in the plant’s ability to regenerate. Before we knew it, a new tip had greened over the old space.
Through the years, Dad potted numerous baby aloe vera plants and received much personal enjoyment out of sharing them with neighbors and his dental patients who dubbed him the “green thumb dentist”.
I hadn’t jotted down any of this, because it didn’t seem like an important part of our family story. So the memories remained dormant until that succulent sighting primed the pump, preparing me for a lively conversation initiated by our oldest grandson.
Oliver has a unique relationship with his cacti. Most young boys would not have been overjoyed with receiving them as birthday and Christmas gifts, but he has. He kept me up-to-date by pointing out when new flowers had bloomed since the last time I was at his house.
We had not really talked about his giant aloe vera plant until one day when he just starts chatting away and amazes me with all the knowledge he has amassed. I fill him in on my personal experience with our windowsill versions. He asks me question after question about my growing up family, and we laugh at what he finds funny. He shares more cacti facts and enjoys being the expert as he quizzes & stumps me.
You can feel the excitement grow as we realize we have something in common that we hadn’t known about before.
We “had a moment”.
The magic in that moment is that it energizes our relationship. It instantly connects us more deeply with each other, and provides a bridge for Oliver to know a bit more about the goings-on within previous generations of his family.
Now a one generation experience (him and his cacti) has become a two generation story (his and mine). Jotting it down solidifies and preserves it.
If he decides to share the memories with his children and grandchildren someday, the sense of belonging within a larger multi-generational family story will continue to grow.
More capturing and sharing…more energized and connected families now and for generations! Who knew a sighting of cacti could catapult us into all of this?!
Now to you…
When has some seemingly “little moment” actually mattered,
in ways that you didn’t expect?
Let’s chat about how I can support you in capturing those brief moments of conversation that can lead your family into deeper connection.
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Jumpstart Your StoryJottings Chat today!
JOYfully jotting,
Katie
Family PhotoStory Curator
Mini-Stories Writing Coach
Your Legacy of Memories Mentor
Capturing Mini-Moments That Matter…
Energizing & Connecting Families for Generations!