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First off, we’re not sitting down to write the great American novel. It’s your life, and who knows it better than you do? The idea is to collect and preserve your Lifeline Stories. The first step is thinking about your life and telling the stories you remember.

You don’t have to start at the beginning, but it can be useful to divide your life into 5-year segments and jot down people, places, and activities as a reference. Here are some sure-fire memory sparkers:

1. Photographs: Look through your photo albums or that box of photos you’ve stored. What's special about each photo?

2. Cards, letters or newspaper clippings you have saved: Why were they important?

3. Lists: Make lists of relatives and friends. Talk with them. What can you learn about them or your family history?

4. Belongings: toys, clothes, gifts, mementos, “stuff.” What did you keep? Why?

5. Education: One-room school to college and anything in-between. In what other ways have you received an education?

6. Parents and Parenting: What special memories do you have of your parents or grandparents? How did becoming a parent change you?

7. Cars or Other Vehicles: List the year and model of each you remember. How old were you when you got your first car?

8. World Events: Where were you when _________ happened, and how were you affected?

9. Holidays: Which holiday was most special to you? Has that changed over your lifetime?

10. Travel: Not just where you went, but why. How did you feel there?

11. Miscellaneous: Songs you liked, favorite movies, popular dance steps, places you visited, etc. What era(s) do you identify with?

12. Animals: Pets and those creatures met while traveling. Any childhood memories associated with animals?

13. Hobbies and Leisure Time: What activities have you enjoyed most through the years?

14. Most Important: What do you wish your parents had told you about themselves? Chances are your children and grandchildren will want to know many of the same things about you.

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