This year is almost three-quarters finished, and suddenly the busiest season is upon us. The past twelve months have brought life-altering changes for my family. I am more convinced than ever that our stories are important. If we fail to tell, our stories will be lost forever. And, we all are the poorer for not knowing our family history.  Don and I plan to travel and visit  family in other parts of Arizona as well as in Texas and even in Germany. We will celebrate several birthdays in the midst of the holidays and football games. My skills as journalist, teacher, writer, and editor bring clarity to your stories. And, my roles as a daughter, sister, wife, and mother bring heart to your story. 

Living in many different places throughout my life has given me a great perspective on the importance of stories to our lives. Sometimes, our stories help preserve a culture or a way of living or, maybe, even sharing an inspirational experience that needs to be remembered. Attending schools in Mexico, Europe, Japan, Paraguay as well as in Texas. I have worked with refugees and taught in several countries, including the United States. We just celebrated forty-one years of marriage and took this picture someplace in Colorado. We live in Northeastern Arizona with Charlie, our little rescue dog. 

This year is rushing by as school starts and football games and holidays. We will be spending plenty  of time with family and friends. These connections add richness to life and keep our loved ones close, even if they are gone. They are part of our family legacy. With the death if my father late last year, my husband and I marked the loss of the generation before us, all born before the Great Depression. Generations that come after us will face the same loss unless we stop to tell our stories--written, audio, video, preserving an irreplaceable treasure.  Without the storyteller, the stories evaporate. Pictures lose their significance as stories behind the scene and the smiling faces no longer have any names.