Things to Ponder

When beginning a legacy journal or album, you first have to ask yourself some questions.
1) What do I want my kids to know about me?
2) What kind of legacy do I want to pass on, how would I want to be remembered?

You do not have to die to pass on a legacy. When your kids move on and move out, what will they take with them that came from you? What did you teach them while you had them in your life every day? It's never too late to start, even if they are already out of the house, always remember that.

I am living proof that I would give anything to sit down and have a conversation with my mother and find out what was important to her and how she lived her life, and what she would want me to "get" from her for my own life.

When I sat down many years ago to ask myself those same questions, this is the list of topics I came up with: (Today I will share the list, and then each post I write I will concentrate on each one.)

* Introduction: Tell why and what you are doing
* Dreams
* Favorite Things
* Making a Difference
* My Challenges Through Life
* My Childhood
* School Stories
* Friends
* What I'm Proud Of
* What I'm NOT Proud Of
* Love Notes (to them)
* Our Love, Mom and Dad
* Motherhood
* My American Dream
* Inspiring Verses, Quotes, Books, and People
* My Prayers for You
* Adoption
* Purpose
* Where Did You Get that Personality?
* Notes on Pictures/Favorite Pictures of You
* Things I Want to Tell You
* I Am Proud of You
* I Love Being with You; Things we like to do together
* Thoughts at Different Ages
* My 2 Cents

Things to keep in mind when creating a legacy journal or album:

*Remember your loved ones want to know even the hard stuff about life, not all of the great things. If you only share the great things from your life, then they will think you never had any problems, that you must have been pretty perfect. Life is full of mess-ups and dissapointments. Don't forget to talk about those and how you got through them, and what you learned from them.

* A legacy journal is NOT something to share your anger in toward your loved one. It is not a place to vent and put them down. It is a place to share your heart with your child.

When I was in college I gave a few important people in my life a journal to write things to me in. Things they wanted me to know, things that would be useful for me in my life. As a young adult I found one of the journals by accident. This person was mad at me for a decision I made and shared with me the dissapointment she felt toward me because of the decision. This was not an appropriate entry, it was a venting that should have never been written to me. From that experience I made the decision to never vent to my children about the choices they make in life. This is not the purpose of a legacy journal. The fastest way to get your kids to stop reading it is to write to them about how they are acting. Instead, tell them all the things that make you a proud mother to them.

I will pray for you and your message! If you ever feel like you do not have anything to say to your kids, nothing gets you in the mood to reflect and write like music. Try listening to a legacy song. You can hear it here: http://pl.st/p/22871640587