When I was about 22, I wanted to know everything about my parents’ lives. I wanted to record stores about them and their parents, so I started carrying around a small tape recorder (a tape recorder was a small device that could record audio on a cassette tape). The quality of the sound wasn’t great, but I didn't care. Times have really changed since then. Now each one of us has an amazing recorder, camera, and video recorder in our phones!
When we went to Pakistan I had singled out a woman I wanted to know about. A friend’s mother. I had been encouraging my friend to interview his parents, and to document their lives and to visit his grandmother who was still living, and ask her about her childhood. I was trying to inspire him virtually but it wasn’t working well. So I knew I could show him in person.
I like to use FamilySearch for recordings even though it only allows 5 minute chunks of interviews. I know the recordings will be safe and not be lost. (You want to make sure that your efforts to document stories are forever saved.) You can also use Ancestry which allows 14 minute audio or My Heritage or Geni which also allow Audio uploads. I like to record directly onto the app so that I have no need to upload or save on my device. There is an option to tag automatically so that saves time too.
At this wonderful woman’s house we sat and recorded her answers to our questions. This is called making an oral history. It is not as formal as a life story and is great on audio because you can hear their voice, emotion, and feeling.
Where did you grow up?
What was your childhood like?
What did you do for fun as a child? What games did you play? What were your toys?
Did you work in the fields, help out at home, cook, clean etc?
How much education did you get? and why?
What was your mother’s life like?
What did your father do?
How was your relationship with them?
Did you know any grandparents or great grandparents? Tell me about them.
Tell me the story of you getting married?
What do you do now that gives you joy?
What is your greatest accomplishment?
She opened right up. She loved sharing her life. She enjoyed relating details to us. Her son hadn't heard all the stories. She told us about long lost days and times and people she had loved who are no longer here. It was a beautiful hour.
Please cherish the ones you love now. My mother passed away 6 months ago and I was nearing the end of writing her life story when she passed. I am so glad that I took the many hours needed to write over 150 pages. I didn't get all my questions answered but at her funeral I was able to pass out a small book about her life and one day I’ll finish it.
Before she passed, and after years of visits of me just asking question after question; and hours of talking, reminiscing, laughing and crying, she said to me that I had made her think that her life meant something. She said that she would always be remembered because of my efforts.
I showed this woman great respect and love by taking the time to ask about her life. I showed my mother love and respect by valuing her life’s experiences and wisdom. And in the end I was better off. I learned from these two amazing women and I was honored to share a bit of their life’s with them.
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