Create Your Own Family History Archives!

My sister Cyn and me (Her looks have improved since then!)

On New Year’s Day, I called my mom and asked her to tell me stories about my kidhood. I had made a quick list of memorable events to start with but more came to mind as we talked. It was wonderful reminiscing and she reminded me of details I had forgotten as well as telling me things I never knew.

For instance, my dad had dug a couple of holes in our back yard for a wooden home plate and pitcher’s rubber. I’d pitch to him and he’d hit me grounders and fly balls. Well, my mom just told me that my dad had attended the last home game of the original Saint Paul Saints minor league team at the old Midway Stadium, which a quick Google check tells me took place in 1960. It was a different time back then and since the park was going to be demolished, he walked out on the field after the game, dug up home plate and took it home. I had never known where that home plate had come from and it’s very cool to know that there’s some history behind it.

I recorded the call, which lasted more than an hour. I plan on interviewing my mom again about her

Best. Gift. Ever.

Two years ago, my mom, Sandy, and my daughter, Erin, each said that the present I put together for their birthday was the best gift they had ever received.

If you’re searching for that perfect gift for a loved one, I hope you give this a shot. It’s the ideal present for birthdays, holidays or just because.

My mom reads her Appreciation Album

What is it? An Appreciation Album filled with letters from friends and loved ones telling the recipient how much he or she means to them.

Start by making a list of everyone who the recipient is or has been close to. Reach far back into the past and cast a wide net in the present. For both my mom and my daughter, I was able to collect around 50 letters.