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The Family History Help & Product Review Newsletter
Tools,
Toy & Inspiration for Family Historians
 Welcome
to this issue of Family History Help &
Product Review Newsletter. I hope that it find you
in good health and spirits.
I apologize for the length of time, that has passed,
between the last issue of this newsletter and this one. The last
month has been very hectic. I am getting ready to head to the
Middle East for an extended period of time and, as one could imagine,
I've had many family and business things to put in order.
The issues, over the next four months, may be a bit
shorter than normal. This will only be because of the time
constraints put on me while in that region. But upon my return,
look for a return to the normal issue length and content.
I depart tonight (Saturday) and will be gone for four
months. It will take about a week to get to where I am going, so I
may not be too quick in returning your e-mail this week.
I wish to especially welcome all of our newest subscribers. I am Michael Boyter, publisher of this
newsletter. Your input, feedback and suggestions are always welcome.
Send them to: feedback@familyhistoryproducts.com
I have another exciting issue for you,
but....
... before you dig in -- please do your friends and
family a favor and forward them a copy of
this newsletter/e-mail or send them this link so they can
subscribe: https://www.familyhistoryproducts.com/ezine.html
"Your Life Changing Event" is this issue's
feature article. It really puts life story writing into
perspective. It was written especially for this newsletter, by Tom
Gilbert of www.your-life-your-story.com
.
Family History CD is a brand new product that
I've added to the Web site. Be sure to read about it in this
issue.
News and Happenings
 Publicity!
Memorygrabber
and FamilyHistoryProducts.com received a mention in the August issue of Personal
Journaling Magazine. It is listed in the resource section for
journal writers. I was very excited to see it! If you
haven't read this magazine before, I recommend looking for it on your
local newstand,
 FamilyHistoryProducts.com
Merchandise - Shirts, bags, coffee cups and
more are now available with the FamilyHistoryProducts.com logo.
They are great for striking up family history conversations or for
family reunions. Let 'em know where your passion lies.
Back of shirt reads "A Story Forgotten Can Never Be
Retold". Take a
look at all of the items.
In This Issue....
Article: Your
Life Changing Event
New Product: Family
History CD;
Life Story Writing Exercise:
Important Dates and Events
"We
cannot control the length of our life, but we can have something to say
about its width and depth."
Feature Article
Your Life Changing Event
Written by Tom Gilbert
www.your-life-your-story.com
Something has
happened in your life that is shaping everything you are and do.
If that is not true
in your life then it just hasn’t happened yet.
It’s inevitable that at some point in this journey we call
life there will be a life changing event.
It may be your marriage, or the birth of your first child.
Perhaps it will be overcoming some great trial, like a serious
illness or life-threatening addiction.
For many it is the loss of a loved one, through death or
separation. Often it is
the experience that brings you to a faith in God, or that “something
bigger” than all of us.
You may be thinking,
“Well, that’s true, but actually I’ve had more than one such
life changing event.” Great!
Not, “great” in the sense of celebration if any of these
events were painful and traumatic, but “great” in the broader
appreciation that such events have for stretching us and helping us to
experience the fullness of life.
You see, we experience that fullness even through loss.
One of the valuable
reasons for preserving your life story is because in the process you
will confront these life changing experiences.
You will discover how they affect your beliefs, your actions
and the way you view life. Sometimes
returning to these memories helps you grow.
This can be especially beneficial if any of the events in your
past are holding you back from truly living life to the fullest.
Not only do you owe
yourself the benefit of knowing what has most impacted your life.
You really have an obligation to share that with others.
We are not meant to live in isolation.
Each of us has something to contribute to others.
You may never make world history, be famous or rich or any of
the other things the world often tells us are important.
However, if your children, your parents, your spouse, siblings,
relatives, friends, co-workers and even complete strangers are
deprived of any beneficial lessons from your time on the planet then
it is a loss for all of us.
Testimonies of faith
and stories of life’s great adventure are of interest to everyone.
You know this is true. Just
visit any bookstore and notice the huge number of biographies,
autobiographies, and memoirs. Keep
track of all the movies and television programs that focus on
someone’s life story. Open
up one of the most influential books in all of civilization, the
Bible, and observe how much is devoted to the telling of various
individuals’ struggles and triumphs.
When
you decide to record family history, write your life story or help
someone else do the same you should always attempt to capture the
essence of life changing events. Be open and honest with yourself or
your interview subject. Certainly
be sensitive. The
greatest drama in life is there.
Our best life lessons are learned from hearing, seeing or
reading these stories.
Tom Gilbert is a
writer and his web site, www.your-life-your-story.com
is dedicated to helping others preserve their life story.
Discover the various ways you can do this, from writing to
video, oral history to journaling.
"The
most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their
mother."
Theodore Hesburgh
New Products at FamilyHistoryProducts.com
Family History CD Software
A brand new software
package made especially for distributing family histories
 Do
you have family history files on your computer? (Photos,
documents, audio, video, PAF and so on).
Don't know how to distribute
them to family and friends for easy viewing?
Family History CD
will help you quickly organize them into a
multimedia CD-ROM for easy and inexpensive distribution, and
will actually burn the CD for you. The CD runs automatically when
inserted into the computer.
You design your
own custom front page with buttons that link to your files. Any file
type can be used, and special accommodations are made for pictures
(slide shows and more) and PDF files
You and your family will be
able to create these lasting memories with minimal computer expertise.
Pictures can be imported quickly using the drag-and-drop
features.
Full list of features
If
you are like me, you probably have family history
documents in various places in your home. I have family pictures in many parts of my home.
Many are scanned and on my hard drive, while others are still in boxes and
picture albums.
Family History
CD ties everything together.
Don't
let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something
stand in the way of your doing it. The time will pass anyway; we
might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use."
-- Earl Nightingale
Life Story Writing
Exercise
 List creating is a powerful, yet easy way to keep a
journal, write about your life or whatever you wish to call it.
In this writing exercise, I'm asking you to write a
list using the following prompt:
List dates that
are important and have meaning in your life.
For me, there are dates that will not pass without
me recalling an event
from the past that occurred on that particular date. In
this exercise, include typical dates such as birthdays
and anniversaries, but go beyond those.
If you think hard on it, many dates should come to
mind. Here are examples from my own life.
August 20th 1986 - Wedding Anniversary
August 21st 1985 - Returned home from Church
mission in Venezuela
16 May 1986 - Started military basic training
January 10th 1989 - Became father for the first
time
November 4th 1986 - Grandma died
Along with each date, comes a memory and a story to
tell. How did that date change your life? What were the
details of that day. What was the current situation in the family,
at the time?
There are many more dates on my list that I've
created. More are sure to be included, at a later date.
The best way that I've found to keep track of all
of these dates, is by plotting them right into a calendar program like Family
Picture Calendar
Tools & Toys for
the Family Historian
There is more than one way to preserve your family
history/stories. At FamilyHistoryProducts.com, I am continually adding
new "tools and toys" to help you get the job done. My
objective is to make the information gathering process easier, quicker
and way more enjoyable!
 The
Journal 
Considered, by many, to be the best journal writing
software available anywhere. Combine your typed text, family
pictures, sound to a highly organized way to gather together your
personal and family memories. Try it F*ree for 45 days! Memorygrabber is built-in to this newest version!.
 Memorygrabber
- An unrivaled fill-in-the-answer life story workbook and life story
interview "script". Nearly 900 memory prompts, lists,
activities and web resources. Trial Download
 Home
Video DVD Cookbook -
Turn those dusty family video tapes into a brilliant family DVD library.
Trial Download
 Family
Picture Calendar - Get rid of those generic calendars on
your wall and replace it with your "official" family calendar.
Distribute to family via e-mail. Trial Download
 All
They'll Need to Know - Record and preserve vital information
your family will need to know, when you aren't there to give it to them.
Well,
that's all for this issue of the newsletter. Please submit comments,
feedback and suggestion to newsletter@familyhistoryproducts.com
Until next time, keep preserving those memories,
because it's work that needs to be done, it's enjoyable and above all
else, it's worth it!
I wish you and your family the best.
Best Regards,
Michael R. Boyter,
www.FamilyHistoryProducts.com
P.S. Please
remember to forward this e-mail to anyone you know that values the
family and the memories they create.
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