Hello all.  Just checking in to let you know how I’m doing on my own Lifetime Book.  I finally finished a draft that I could give to my husband to read.  What a great experience.  As he finished one chapter at a time, I was flush with anticipation as I waited for his “review.” Would he be upset about any of the details I included in the book?  Would he be okay with any references to him and our life together?  Would I have to do any major editing after hearing his comments?

But I had nothing to worry about. Gene was most generous.  He praised my writing and even said he was moved to some emotion from time to time.  There were things I thought for sure we shared, but it was not until he read it in black and white that he realized what my life before we met was all about. I was most pleased that I was able to build some suspense that kept him reading on and left him wanting more details.  I think I discovered a great way to get couples talking about their lives, family, and experiences….just write a book!

My childhood was spent in Jersey City, an environment so foreign to me now.  It’s really quite a contradiction when your soul feels firmly rooted in the country despite a city upbringing.  The twists and turns of life are difficult to chronicle in a book, but I’m getting the hang of it.

After a bit more editing (I left out a few important things, like my gardening and our adventures in real estate and home renovations), my next step is to collect the photos and create captions for each of them.  I want to choose photos that represent not only the key events in my life, but also those that show some of the personality traits I developed along my life’s journey.  From the dutiful Catholic child in my early school days to the rebellious teenager in hippie jeans, to the non-conformist young adult who rode a motorcycle to her conventional corporate job and the smart alleky skier (like in the photo we took at the Fair)–I want to include the images that reflect the clothes, the expressions, the environment—so I can look back and see how and why I am who I am today!

How are you doing on your Lifetime Book?