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Writing a Memoir: Do it!
We all have stories and our stories are unique to us. I encourage each of you to write a memoir, the stories of your life whether or not you ever want to publish it. There are several reasons to do this.
Do it for yourself.
As you write about your life experiences, memories will return and you’ll see them from the perspective of who you are now. You’ll gain insight into your life and you might ask questions.
For instance, I was always told that the reservation trading post my parents ran when I was a kid was founded by an ancestor in the 1800’s and passed down through my family. I never questioned it until I began my memoir. I now know that my family often lied to me and as I look back I can’t help but question many things I believed when I was a child. I’m doing research on things that I just accepted as truth. For instance, my parents changed the name of the store from Rupkey’s Trading Post to Peridot Trading Post. I found out that Rupkey was the name of the original owner, but I can’t find the name Rupkey in my family tree.
For some, writing about our past can be a healing experience and perhaps a purging of emotions. For me, it’s my way of putting the past where it belongs and that is behind me. It feels like writing my memoir is my way of letting go so that I can move forward without that burden of past pain. It’s a…