My mother-in-law has been battling cancer for 12 years. Right after the TAC cruise, she told us her doctor had informed her that she wouldn’t be with us much longer. My brother-in-law got an emergency leave from Iraq to come spend some time with her, and she was placed on hospice care in her home.
I knew that it was time to stop procrastinating writing her life story. I put my entire life on hold for a month while I worked non-stop on the book. I spoke to my upline leaders Sharon Murdoch and Candy May and apologized for not doing anything with my business. But Candy told me that I was doing exactly what this business is all about – preserving a story.
The most precious part of the experience was the time I spent with my mother-in-law while writing the book. We already had the basis of her life story which she typed up years before, but we wanted more. The first time we met with her to ask questions my niece and my daughter used the life story planner to interview their grandma. What a special experience for them! At one point during this process, my mother-in-law sent me an email telling me how grateful she was that I was doing this, and that I made her feel so loved and special.
Once, when I was talking with her, she told me about an experience that she really felt needed to be in the book. She said she felt strongly that there would be a time in the future when that experience would help someone in her family when they were struggling.
I asked everyone in the family to write a letter to her to be included in the book. It was quite a struggle for many of them to write a "goodbye" letter. However, it has added such an amazing element to the book. The book was not a surprise to her, but the letters will be.
I sent the book off to publishing last week and just got it back the other day. It is so much more than I ever imagined. Obviously I knew what it looked like, but seeing it in print was so amazing. I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to make it. I am especially grateful for doing it while she is still alive. I’ve shown family members previews of the book, and my sister-in-law told me that she went through an entire box of tissues.
I also made an abbreviated little "Grandma book" for the grandkids. My favorite part about it is the letter she wrote to the grandkids. Years from now, long after she is gone, they will be able to see her pictures and read her words to them. I hope they will be able to draw comfort and get advice for whatever they are dealing with at that time.
I cannot say enough how grateful I am for this company and the opportunity it gave our family to preserve a special life for generations to come.
—Celise Salmon
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