Tips on Archiving Family History

I am often asked about tips on archiving family history from the assortment of things passed down from generation to generation. Specifically, I am asked about photos and recorded items: old photos, audio tapes, cassette recordings of many sizes, video tapes, etc.. I recently read a great article that answers many of the questions I get.  Bertram Lyons, an archivist at the American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress in Washington D.C., authored the following article in the New York Times http://tinyurl.com/ow4qczc. Bertram (pictured below) gives the best explanation I’ve read about what to look for in finding professional to help you archive your family history media treasures.

If you ever thought that the old photos and recordings that are shoved in a box somewhere will last forever, think again. Please take the time to find them and digitize them soon! At LifeStories Alive http://www.lifestoriesalive.com, we are continually faced with clients who remember “that great photo” of their ancestor from their childhood that is no longer usable due to neglect. It’s not that expensive to safe a priceless heirloom. Do it now!

What Impact Can We Have On the Life of Another Person?

I just finished watching the only TV program I watch on a regular basis – CBS Sunday Morning. I appreciate their consistent cavalcade of positive, meaningful stories. Today’s program was no exception. One of the stories today highlighted the life stories of a living legend, Sidney Poitier http://tinyurl.com/bp9qnje .

 

An integral part of his story, one I had never heard before, was shared. It caused me to reflect afterward, “What impact can I have on the life of another person?” Born as the youngest of a large and poor Bahamian family, he moved to New York at age 17 to become an actor. Washing dishes at a restaurant to  survive, the young Poitier was approached by an elderly Jewish waiter, a fellow employee. The following is from the CBS Sunday Morning account:

“There was one of the waiters, a Jewish guy, elderly man, and he looked over at me and was looking at me for quite awhile. I had a newspaper, it was called Journal American. And he walked over to me, and he said, ‘What’s new in the paper?’ And I looked up at this man. I said to him, ‘I can’t tell you what’s in the paper, because I can’t read very well.’ He said, ‘Let me ask you something, would you like me to read with you?’ I said to him, ‘Yes, if you like.’

“Now let me tell you something: That man, every night, the place is closed, everyone’s gone, and he sat there with me week after week after week. And he told me about punctuations. He told me where dots were and what the dots mean here between these two words, all of that stuff.”

“He took you through high school,” said (Leslie) Stahl.

“Yes, he did. And it wasn’t for long. I learned a lot. And then things began to happen.”

I’m sure this elderly Jewish man, at the time, had no idea the gift he was giving to the world as he offered to help the young man that day. He had no idea that Sidney Poitier’s future would inspire thousands to reach for what was previously out of reach. I believe he did this unselfish act of kindness, teaching a kid to read, because it felt like the right thing to do. I’d even guess it came as a knee-jerk reaction.

So I ask myself, ”What impact, then, can I have on the life of another person? What simple act of kindness can I do to change the life of another person?” I believe the answer will appear in my everyday life, perhaps even today. And when the opportunity comes to give, I shouldn’t even think about it. I should just do it…like an elderly Jewish waiter in New York did for a dishwasher who couldn’t tell him “…what’s new in the paper.”

We Don’t Listen Alone

Listening is something I have been both fascinated with and a student of. It is a skill that most people take for granted, think they are good at, and almost never take the steps to improve. This morning I was introduced to a story about Albert Einstein that is a great example of how, if we open our minds to practicing a different way of listening, a whole new world will reveal itself.

I encourage you to read through the entire story http://tinyurl.com/einsteinlistening. When you are finished, think about what in your life you could learn to appreciate further if you merely changed the way you listened to it. Ask yourself, “Who am I listening with, or am I listening alone?”

How to run a productive meeting (aka hints for the Secret Service)

Having been an attendee at meetings that were unorganized and a complete waste of time for all involved, I found my friend, Helene Segura’s, recent blog post very helpful. If you are in charge of conducting meetings or know someone who is, this is a must read!

How to run a productive meeting (aka hints for the Secret Service).

What to Say (and Not to Say) to the Bereaved

One of the most uncomfortable situations we will all come across at some time in our lives is interacting with a friend or relative who has had a friend or loved one die. The challenge that most of us face during this time of bereavement is what to say to the bereaved. I just came across a well-written article in the Huffington Post by Carole Brody Fleet: 15 Things You Should Never Say to the Bereaved http://tinyurl.com/9fwm86d. Having experienced bereavement on a personal basis, I think Carole’s advise is solid and worth reading.

She approaches the subject from a point of empathy, giving the reader not only things you should never say, but also including what the bereaved is probably thinking if you say it. Don’t worry, however. At the end of the article, she gives the reader suggestions of what to say. My favorite suggestion in this part is, “You might not be ready to talk about it today, but when you’re ready, I’m here to listen.” I have written much on the topic of listening. Being a good listener and offering a comforting heart is most welcomed in the case of comforting the bereaved.

A time when we most want to be heard is when we are hurting. So offer your heart, your ear and your love…and just listen.

Live Theater – An Unexpected Love Story

I don’t remember my parents taking me and my brothers to live theater growing up. We went to plenty of movies and loved it, but no live theater. It still baffles me how, after soooo many years, I have fallen in love with live theater. How did this come about? Here’s a synopsis of the love story:

I mentioned to my business coach about seven years ago that after nine years on the Board of Directors of a wonderful non-profit organization here in Austin, I was ready for a change. Her eyes lit up as she said, “You have to come to a ZACH party!” I learned not to question the advice of this business coach, so I did just that…I went to a ZACH party. She was right!

The Zachary Scott Theatre (ZACH) http://www.zachtheatre.org/ in Austin is the oldest continuously operating theatre in the State of Texas. “So what?” you say (as did I back then). I was not interested in theatre and certainly knew little about it. But like so many things in life, it’s not the building, business, or idea that’s important, it’s the people! I quickly discovered that the people associated with ZACH were not only smart and caring, but also fun folks to be with. And while that is an important ingredient in my decision to get involved, that alone wasn’t enough to cause me to fall in love with it.

My love of theater began with the first play I saw at ZACH. I saw their production of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire. I saw the Marlon Brando movie and liked it, but it’s a very different experience when it is performed live…and with professional actors. Part of ZACH’s mission is to “create intimate theatre”. To me that means that you leave the experience of your day behind when you are in the theatre and are taken to the time and place where the play is living. And at ZACH, you feel like you can almost touch the actors. I actually feel that I am a different person in a different place when experiencing live theater. That’s probably why I love live theater so much. It’s an escape from the “outside world” for a brief period of time…and yet it seems like it lasts for countless hours.

Many of you might be thinking, “Sure, Mike. There is live theater, and then there is LIVE THEATER!” If you have never experienced the joys of the escape that I am describing, come to a play at ZACH. Thanks largely to the expertise and professional talents of the Artistic Director at ZACH, Dave Steakley, you will not be disappointed! And if you’re not careful, you might fall in love, too!

A Father’s Day Note to his Son and Daughter

My father died in 1997 at the age of sixty-three. So when Father’s Day rolls around, as it will very soon, what am I to do? I will remember my father. But there is more to do than that. I am blessed with two wonderful children (the photo below as taken a couple of years ago, but is still a favorite). For this Father’s Day, I want to share my note to my children.

To my dear children,

As the years roll by since my father’s death, I focus more and more on what it means to be a good Dad for the two of you. Please know that I try as much as possible to do what I can do and say what I can say to earn the designation of “a good Dad”. I find myself, at times, a bit nervous and anxious about doing the best things and saying the appropriate words to you. I ask that when I do screw up, embarrassing you and myself in the process, please forgive me.

Sometimes I feel that it’s a father’s right to say and do what he wants to his children in order to teach them those things that should be taught. And when that happens, I can, at times, come up with some incredibly stupid and dorky things. But I know that the intent is to see you grow into people who can be proud of themselves; people who make their community and the world a better place because they were in it. So please smile when I say those things. Show me in your eyes that you know what I am trying to say. And when I say the right things…you know, those things that make you feel good or those things you know you needed to hear…tell me how you feel at those times as well!

Please know also, that when I am feeling down and question if what I am doing and have done in life is good, all I have to do is look at the two of you. Then I know, by looking at you and the incredible people that you have become and continue to blossom into, that I have done the best thing in life…I feel that I have become “a good Dad”.

I am very proud of you. I love you both,

Dad