Capturing and Preserving Family Memories

Tuesday, February 24 at 7:00 PM The International Friendship Club (IFC) is hosting an interactive workshop led by Candace George Thompson, author of the award-winning family saga, Still Having Fun, a Portrait of a Military Marriage. Candace will facilitate “The Gift of Story: Capturing and Preserving Family Memories.” Donation for IFC charities: $50 pesos at the door.

You are invited to discover easy ways to capture family memories as Ms. Thompson shares family traditions and habits such as special event letters and a memory jar. Take away concrete ideas and resources for engaging your entire family. Handouts included.

We talked to Candace recently about what inspired her to write her family saga. “The short answer is grief. After my parents died a week apart in 2007, I found solace in re-reading my mother’s 1947-48 letters from post WWII Okinawa.”

“Before she got Alzheimer’s, Mother had mentioned wanting to publish those 30+ letters. I decided I would take on her project and the little project grew. It expanded back to my parents’ courtship and my father’s Army Air Corps days. It crept forward in time as I delved into documents and records, navigator logs and travelogues, performance evaluations, tax returns and household expense ledgers. My parents, it turned out, led well-documented lives.”

“Much to my surprise, I ended up writing an entire book about their life adventures. Since the book was published, I’ve become an evangelist for capturing family stories and documenting family life.”

Candace urges you to start collecting your own family stories. “Don’t wait; don’t hesitate. Do it now—before it’s too late. Record your uncle’s memories about the Vietnam War. Ask your mother or grandmother to tell you about an early job or the origins of a favorite family recipe. Decide to make saving memories a family tradition.”

You can start by attending Candace’s lively and informative workshop at the IFC on Tuesday evening February 24 at 7:00 p.m. And bring your pen!

“Of all the gifts people can give, the most meaningful and lasting are love and the gift of story.”  — C. P. Estes

The International Friendship Club is a registered charitable organization in Mexico listed as Club Internacional de la Amistad de Puerto Vallarta A.C.  It is located at the northeast corner of the Insurgentes Rio Cuale Bridge above the HSBC Bank, Colonia El Centro, Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico, 48300. Phone: 322-222-5466. Website: ifcvallarta.com Email: [email protected].