One Legacy had designed a fun game where several personally inspired questions were typed on folded pieces of paper and placed in a basket in the middle of a table. One at a time, guests would draw a question from the basket and share their answers with the group. It was great fun, except for one challenge. Some of our guests had difficulty unfolding the small pieces of paper. Not too big of a deal at the time, but afterward, we discussed ways to improve the process. So Cynthia, who has designed custom card decks for families, began developing a deck of cards to use instead of drawing from a basket.

Brilliant! From that point on, we walk into the room with a poker-sized deck of 52 cards.

Let me tell you; there is something special about playing cards with friends around the table for any age group, especially seniors.

Several questions used for the cards came from my personal experience while caring for mom. In her later years, she had become very ill and was in constant pain. To stimulate her, I began making up simple little questions that would jog her memory about being a young girl or questions about how she met Dad or her favorite pets. Simple questions, yet I saw an immediate change in her mood and posture. We did this exercise almost every time I’d visit her.

One day I noticed that nurses and other hospital staff became curious, even to the point of wanting to answer the questions themselves. The room would fill with people at times. It became a real bonding experience for all of us. That’s when I realized the real power of story-sharing. I could see it in my mom’s eyes and others too.

The cards became a regular part of our Guided Story Sharing sessions.

We learned that the cards are equally as fun for families. A great way to stimulate pleasant memories through collecting stories from friends and loved ones. Stories that, otherwise, may never get shared.

One of my favorite memories was when my sister Kathy and I took our aging (and ill) parents on a weekend trip to Gatlinburg, TN. We got stuck in a terrible traffic jam. Kathy and I loved our parents, but they didn’t share many stories from their past. Maybe that’s a generational thing. On that particular night, while waiting in traffic, I pulled out a deck of story starter cards, and we began reading questions to each other. My sister and I have never remembered a better night of sharing and laughing than we did on that night.

So, I experienced storying sharing with my own family! Since then, many families have used our cards for vacation and holidays.

On a more serious note, we also learned the StoryStarter cards are a perfect way to share stories when a friend or family member who is in Hospice care. I’ve experienced the warmth and richness several times from families sharing their life memories by using this simple deck of cards.

I invite you to try them for yourself. It’s a great gift idea!

Please contact us at One Legacy if you have any questions about purchasing and using the StoryStarter cards.

My Very Best,

Mike Stith