Get To Know Your Grandparents Before It’s Too Late
We all become busy in life focusing on our career and accolades that we forget our families. Regret about not spending enough time with a loved one can be painful.
Taylor Swift wrote a song entitled “Marjorie” featuring advice from her late grandmother and touches on Taylor’s guilt over not knowing her grandmother more. In the song, Taylor sings “I should’ve asked you questions. I should’ve asked you how to be. Asked you to write it down for me.”
Wishing you had more time with a deceased relative is painful and one we see commonly in our practice. Our office is challenging you to have your elderly relatives tell you their life story by writing it down, or possibly filming it, because you never know when your last time with them will be.
There are books for sale with questions to ask to capture memories you may otherwise not know. How did you meet your spouse? What’s your greatest accomplishment? What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? These answers, and many more, can be memorialized and passed down to future generations.
Recently, we interviewed my father-in-law, Philip Clark, to capture memories for my husband and our 3-year-old son. My son may never know his grandfather in this much detail unless the information is preserved. Apologies to Taylor Swift, but my father-in-law prefers The Beatles. He met his wife, Claudia, while studying at the University of Bonn, Germany as an Olmsted Scholar. His greatest accomplishment is rising to the head of the High Adventure Committee of the National Capital Area Council of the Boy Scouts. The greatest advice Phil has ever received is “don’t be so cavalier!”
Phil also shared his military background. As an Army brat himself, born at Ft. Meade, he attended the Georgia Military Academy, an honors military school, before receiving his appointment to West Point. He went on to serve for nine years in Germany as well as volunteering for the Vietnam War where Phil served as an image analyst. After retiring from the military, he then went on to work in a government laboratory to further aid image analysts.
Without documenting this information, future generations may never know the brilliant and amazing life my father-in-law has created. We encourage you to have your families do something similar to preserve their legacies. And with Independence Day right around the corner, remember to thank and appreciate our veterans.
If you need help protecting your money and loved ones in the event of death or disability, call us at 301-696-0567 or self-schedule online at lenaclarklegal.com.
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