Penned by Me: My Life, In My Own Words

Penned by Me is a large print guided life story journal that a parent or grandparent fills in themselves, in their own words and their own handwriting. It has 56 questions on 128 pages, printed in large print (questions 18 point, all other text 16 point or larger) on 7 x 10 inch cream pages. Every question has a shorter "Or simply" prompt. The lower-pressure format may suit some people living with early memory changes, depending on individual needs and preferences; it is not a medical tool or treatment.

Your life. Your words. Your handwriting.

Most life story books are written about someone. This one is written by them.

The questions never ask "Do you remember?" They ask what you know, what you love and what you want to say. A single word is an answer. So is a whole page. Any page may stay empty, and nothing in this book is a test.

When writing gets harder, the Write Together pages let someone you trust hold the pen while you tell the story. Each page notes who told it and who wrote it down, so the voice stays yours.

What is inside

• How to use this book, one page for the writer and one for the person helping
• All About Me: your name and what you like to be called, your people, your favorites, the places you have lived, a family tree and your life in years
• Six chapters of questions: Where I Come From, Work and Hands, Love and Family, Places and Times, What I Know, and Small Joys
• For the People I Love: six letters to people you choose
• What Matters to Me in Care: your days, your comforts and how you like to be greeted, so helpers know what makes you feel at home (not a legal or medical document)
• Write Together: eleven story prompts with space for "Told by", "Written by" and the date
• Photos: six pages with room for who, where and when
• My Own Pages: fourteen lined pages for whatever belongs nowhere else

A few questions from the book

Describe the kitchen of the house you grew up in.
Or simply: one smell, one sound, one person you picture there.

What could you do with your hands that you are proud of?
Or simply: I was good at ____.

Which song makes you want to stand up?
Or simply: the song, or the singer.

Details

Shipping

Every book is printed to order. Shipping is $5.99 per order in the US and free on two or more books. The current online market is the United States; see the live shipping policy for current delivery details.