When my children were young, they loved to have my wife and I read or tell stories to them before they went to bed at night. With eight children, I have read a lot of children’s bedtime books. I found myself often amused by the many fictional stories that many times contained meaningful messages. I was most surprised when my children would ask me to tell them stories about when I was a little boy. They would then ask me many follow up questions. At the time I thought they were just delaying bedtime. Now I realize that there is a connection that occurs as we share stories of events in our lives and the corresponding feelings experienced.

Our children are now grown and raising their own families which now gives me the opportunity to share stories with my grandchildren. Their world is much different than the world my children grew up in. With all the screen time children are exposed to and so little face to face interaction, stories have become a rewarding way to interact and connect. The grandchildren also want to hear stories of when I was a little boy and when their parents were young. I wish now I would have recorded more of those experiences when my memory was fresh!

Because my father died quite young, many of my children did not get to know him.  A few years ago I decided to write a history about him so my children would have stories to connect them to him. What started out to be an effort to bless my children has turned into an amazing blessing in my life. I have spent many hours on FamilySearch reading stories and memories about my father and his ancestors. I am so grateful for the many contributors who have helped me connect because of their willingness to share a story or memory they found or personally experienced. For example, recently I found an article my great grandmother wrote in 1941 when she was my age, entitled “My Philosophy of Life.” As I read it I realized we are kindred spirits and though the world has changed, what I have found to be the true meaning of life is almost exactly the same.

With so many contributing stories, pictures, and memories about their ancestors today, I am always discovering new information that brings me closer to my ancestors. I am so grateful to all who contribute, even without knowing all the lives they are touching. I am also grateful for the new “Record My Story” activity found in the Family Activities page on FamilySearch. It provides an easy way to record your stories or those of a loved one on all kinds of topics, including goals, accomplishments, family trips, spiritual experiences and feelings, friends, etc. Each topic has multiple questions that help you to remember and record meaningful stories that will bless you and your family for generations to come.

Stories are recognizable patterns in which we find meaning. We use stories to make sense of our world and to share that understanding with others. We can all have more meaningful interactions with those we love through the stories we can access through FamilySearch. We can also become a source of those stories that can bless our families for generations to come by recording them and adding them to FamilySearch. –Dave Castleton, Director, Granite Family History Center