Workshop:
Six Conversations for Writing Creative
Journals
“Take
care of all your memories. For you cannot relive them.” Bob Dylan
Family Heirlooms
Write
down what you or other family members pass along through generations, either of
value or humorous. Some of our Christmas ornaments seemed a bit odd after a few
generations.
Why
do some items become so special that there is conflict over who inherits it? Or
is something a complete mystery?
One
item that my youngest aunt saved for me from my paternal grandmother was a
christening gown, made of intricate lace and exquisite needlework. Each child
in the family had worn it, and I was the last to inherit it. How she came upon
such a rich garment from a very low working-class background was a secret that
no one knew the answer to. But it traveled across the ocean with her and was used
for the christenings of her next three children born in her new country.
Choose
one particular item and catalog it as if a museum piece. Send out letters
asking siblings or cousins what stories they remember and then put them all
together as a collection.
Action
Steps:
1. What heirloom has a secret?
2. Is it dangerous?
3. What damage could it do to present
relationships?
Share: What item
did you choose?
Read deep, marcy
