A Memory Speaks Volumes

One question I often ask during our Family Love Letters sessions that seems so basic, open doors: "What kind of kid were you?"

I'm always fascinated by how this simple prompt uncovers stories that might never come up around the dinner table.

Just the other day, a client told me:

"I was an easy kid to get along with. I was friendly, and always a good student. I liked science, wrote poetry, and read a lot of books including the Bible, and books I got for birthdays, Christmas, and from the school library."

Then came the part that got me:

"I enjoyed checking out books from the school library, but there weren't many to choose from because we always got them secondhand from the white schools. They were always kind of raggedy."

In just a few sentences, we moved from personality traits to a glimpse of segregated America through a child's eyes. Those "raggedy" hand-me-down books tell us so much about the world this person grew up in.

This is exactly why I do this work. These seemingly small memories aren't just personal anecdotes—they're pieces of living history.

It makes me wonder about all of us—what stories are we carrying that our loved ones have never heard? What would your family be surprised to learn about the kid you once were?

These are the threads worth capturing, the ones that connect generations in ways photo albums alone never could.

What would your answer be?