BRING YOUR LOVED ONES CLOSER IN ALL THE RIGHT WAYS
I’ll never forget the time when hanging out with our aging father became a regular thing for my brother, Sherm, and me.
It was a while after my mother passed away, and my dad was experiencing severe loneliness. He had suffered setbacks from falls and surgeries and unfortunately spent more time than average in bed.
Sherm and I decided we needed to do something to help, so we instituted Friday lunches, dedicated time that ended up lifting his spirits (and ours).
In anticipation of spending the day with his two boys, he would greet us when we arrived on the appointed morning, dressed in his white cardigan sweater, ready to go. He was even motivated to use a walker and lock his knees with each step so he could be under his own power.
Creating Life Sketches
We had some unforgettable experiences chatting, reminiscing, and eventually asking questions that led to hearing stories we’d never known before.
I realized that these were golden moments we needed to archive. My wife, Sharee, and I took my dad to Hawaii to dedicate some time away in a beautiful setting to gather more of his experiences. We divided his life into seven different categories, including early childhood, courting years, professional life, etc.
We interviewed him both on camera and on tape and eventually compiled a 130-page life history for the family, titled “Glenn Andrew, A Man of Steel,” because he was a superintendent at US Steel Geneva Works during his career.
It’s been so powerful for our kids and grandkids (some of whom never met him) to hear his voice, watch him speak, and read his stories.
My experiences with my dad also became the spark for an exercise I’ve often shared with our 3 Dimensional Wealth audience: I Remember When stories.
Sharing Life Stories
I Remember When stories can become one of your family’s favorite go-to activities. The concept is simple: Have family members capture memorable experiences — they can be uplifting, funny (even embarrassing), life-defining, etc. — and share them when you’re all together.
Whether it’s around the holiday dinner table, a casual Sunday get-together, or at Grandparents’ Camp (learn more about this exciting concept on pg. 20), setting aside time for I Remember When stories can bring you closer.
In addition to telling these stories, you also want to write them down and/or record them, then add them to your family’s Legacy Bank.
Making Deposits & Withdrawals
In my book, “Entitlement Abolition,” I explain that the Legacy Bank is a literal and virtual repository for all of your cash, as well as your KASH. KASH is an acronym that stands for Knowledge, Attitudes, Skills, and Habits — the values that empower your family to use your resources with accountability and responsibility.
As you establish your Legacy Bank, you are essentially making Financial, Intellectual, and Foundational “deposits” that your family can “withdraw” into perpetuity.
So when it comes to your Foundational Dimension, making life story deposits can become invaluable for future generations. To do this, you can save the digital files in a shared cloud drive and/or print the hard-copy documents and compile them in three-ring binders. Then plan time for the family to regularly return to these stories and reinforce the memories and lessons within them.
Make It Easy
We’ve developed two 3 Dimensional Wealth tools that can help you do this: The Life Sketch Guide and I Remember When.
The Life Sketch Guide walks you through six steps that can help you gather meaningful life histories from grandparents, parents, and other important people in your family’s life.
The I Remember When tool helps jog your memory in eight categories of experiences, making it easy to jot down a story that you can share with your family.
Looking at my own family’s experiences, I can testify to the power of storytelling in bringing your loved ones together.
To this day, we’ll be sitting around a Sunday get-together, and my grandkids will pipe up, “Grandpa, tell us again about the time you got kicked out of the flint and steel fire-starting contest for using gasoline!” or “Go back to the one about you stealing 100 brownies from the freezer!”
It doesn’t take great heroics or achievements — stories of everyday struggles, joys, and even light-hearted childhood mischief can enrich your children and grandchildren’s lives. I encourage you to bring your family closer through personal stories, compounding the KASH your family so greatly deserves.
> Capture your family stories with the same tools we use with our own families. Begin your journey — click here to join the 3 Dimensional Wealth Community to access the Complete Toolbox today.
