The Life Story Writer
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  • The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely, or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy amidst the simple beauty of nature. …I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles.

    – Anne Frank

    Sunset Malaspina Gallery Park (1 of 1)
  • Away from the tumult of motor and mill

    I want to be care-free; I want to be

    still!

    I’m weary of doing things; weary of

    words

    I want to be one with the blossoms

    and birds.

    – Edgar A. Guest

    butterfly on lilac
  • There is something of the marvelous in all things of nature.

    – Aristotle

    arbutus tree reduced size
  • There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

    – Albert Einstein

    Full moon Drumbeg Park May14 2014JH (1 of 1)
  • Look!
    Look!
    Look deep into nature and you will understand everything.

    – Albert Einstein

    Eagle (1 of 1)
  • Sunset Malaspina Gallery Park (1 of 1)

    The best remedy for those who are afraid, lonely, or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere where they can be quite alone with the heavens, nature and God. Because only then does one feel that all is as it should be and that God wishes to see people happy amidst the simple beauty of nature. …I firmly believe that nature brings solace in all troubles.

    – Anne Frank

  • butterfly on lilac

    Away from the tumult of motor and mill

    I want to be care-free; I want to be

    still!

    I’m weary of doing things; weary of

    words

    I want to be one with the blossoms

    and birds.

    – Edgar A. Guest

  • arbutus tree reduced size

    There is something of the marvelous in all things of nature.

    – Aristotle

  • Full moon Drumbeg Park May14 2014JH (1 of 1)

    There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

    – Albert Einstein

  • Eagle (1 of 1)

    Look!
    Look!
    Look deep into nature and you will understand everything.

    – Albert Einstein

Let’s begin the journey today!A Life Story is a Gift…

Shaw TV Interview – How I became the Life Story Writer

There is no greater gift than sharing the experiences and wisdom of a lifetime with family and friends.  How do family members know who they are if they don’t know where they came from – their roots? But the challenge is in getting started.

In his book On Writing Well author William Zinsser said:
One of the saddest sentences I know is “I wish I would have asked my mother about that. Or my father. Or my grandmother, or grandfather”…

It is sometimes difficult to write about yourself in a detached manner that provides an interesting read for others.  Many people put off this activity and never find the time. With some encouragement and a good guide, however, it can be a pleasant, rewarding journey to tell your own unique story.

I live on Southern Vancouver Island and can travel to record your memories of past events and the people who have made your life special.  In the comfort of your home this process will be relaxing and enjoyable. It will no doubt be fun too. We will add photos and special documents if applicable, and then we will have your story professionally printed. What a gift – for you, your family, the next generations, and friends – can you imagine holding the book in your hands, seeing it on your coffee table, in your bookcase, reading stories to your grandchildren?  It will be much cherished.

How often have you wished that your forebears had left written stories of their lives?  A family tree may appeal to some, and facts may appeal to others, but stories are how we get to know people and the times in which they lived.

You may not think you have led an exceptional life, but I am sure that through this process, you will end up thinking otherwise. You will have fun, perhaps shed some tears, and remember details you may have forgotten, but overall, you will be thankful that you made this journey into your past. It will be the creation of a special legacy for your sons and daughters, grandchildren and great grandchildren, or friends; they will be so grateful that your stories are preserved.  Don’t wait – give me a call and let’s get started.

Family and Friends
If you are a family member or friend, here’s the most special gift you will ever find for your loved one. Give the gift of a life story book to a beloved parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle or friend.

Retirement Gift
A book of photos and stories from coworkers makes an amazing and unique retirement gift.

Your Company History
Make it work for you! A short publication packed with personal anecdotes and interesting photographs can be an ideal gift for clients, and a wonderful coffee table book in your office. Highlighting projects and giving clients the opportunity to learn more about the special people who work on them can be a determining factor in developing trust. Posting the business memoir to your website will make your company stand out from all the rest!

  • A Rule for Every Decision of the Future

    Posted on December 5, 2014 by Janice Henshaw in Meditative Reflections and Photos

    “Then and there I invented this rule for myself to be applied to every decision I might have to make in the future. I would sort out all the arguments and see which belonged to fear and which to creativeness, and other things being equal I would make the decision which had the larger number […]

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  • Thunder Lake, Aaron Provincial Park, Ontario Aug. 13-14, 2012

    Posted on October 26, 2014 by Janice Henshaw in The Vagabond Girl - Travel Stories

    Thunder Lake, Aaron Provincial Park, Ontario ($32.00) August 13th I made it to Ontario! And am camped out alone on a narrow piece of land surrounded by the lake (An isthmus? Is this what we studied in geography? A more boring class couldn’t have been designed!). The campsites are lovely, private, forested sites. My initial […]

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  • West Coast Fog

    Posted on October 22, 2013 by Janice Henshaw in all posts, Meditative Reflections and Photos

    “It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.” Aristotle Onassis

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  • “Whole against the sky”

    Posted on July 21, 2014 by Janice Henshaw in Meditative Reflections and Photos

    Once the realization is accepted that even between the closest human beings infinite distances continue, a wonderful living side by side can grow, if they succeed in loving the distance between them which makes it possible for each to see the other whole against the sky. Rainer Maria Rilke Photos © Janice Henshaw

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  • But Nature more

    Posted on March 24, 2016 by Janice Henshaw in all posts, Meditative Reflections and Photos

    There is pleasure in the pathless woods, there is rapture in the lonely shore, there is society where none intrudes, by the deep sea, and music in its roar; I love not Man the less, but Nature more. ~Lord Byron Words to be spoken slowly and enjoyed, as are walks in the woods, even in […]

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  • Contentment

    Posted on April 14, 2014 by Janice Henshaw in all posts, Meditative Reflections and Photos

    “Because one believes in oneself, one doesn’t try to convince others. Because one is content with oneself, one doesn’t need others’ approval. Because one accepts oneself, the whole world accepts him or her.” ― Lao Tzu “A quiet secluded life in the country, with the possibility of being useful to people to whom it is […]

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  • Nests in your hair?

    Posted on October 24, 2015 by Janice Henshaw in all posts, Meditative Reflections and Photos

    “That the birds of worry and care fly over your head, this you cannot change, but that they build nests in your hair, this you can prevent. ~Chinese proverb Photo © Janice Henshaw 2015

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  • Our window on the world

    Posted on November 17, 2015 by Janice Henshaw in all posts, Meditative Reflections and Photos

    Our window on the world Is as big and generous As we choose to make it. Photo Horseshoe Bay © Janice Henshaw 2015

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  • “A feeling of wonder”

    Posted on July 11, 2014 by Janice Henshaw in Meditative Reflections and Photos

    “It creates a feeling of wonder that so much beauty should be apparently created for such little purpose.” ~ Charles Darwin   Photos © Janice Henshaw

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  • “An example of life’s mystery and unpredictability…”

    Posted on May 29, 2014 by Janice Henshaw in Meditative Reflections and Photos

    “I discovered that the horse is life itself, a metaphor but also an example of life’s mystery and unpredictability, of life’s generosity and beauty, a worthy object of repeated and ever changing contemplation.” Jane Smiley (Photo – Horses on Gabriola Island © Janice Henshaw)

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  • Where troubles melt like lemon drops

    Posted on June 13, 2016 by Janice Henshaw in all posts, Meditative Reflections and Photos

    A lovely song for a rainy Monday morning Eva Cassidy’s version of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” Somewhere over the rainbow Way up high, There’s a land that I heard of Once in a lullaby. Somewhere over the rainbow Skies are blue, And the dreams that you dare to dream Really do come true. Someday I’ll […]

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  • Doing, doing, doing… instead of being content with what we have

    Posted on August 19, 2016 by Janice Henshaw in all posts, Meditative Reflections and Photos

    Only men must do. It’s in their nature to do, and much of what they’ve done is for the best, only sometimes they start doing before they understand that what they’ll get won’t be nearly as wonderful as what they had. ~Louis L’Amour 1973 And Allan Watts said, “We thought of life by analogy with […]

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  • Off to the Ferry at Swartz Bay

    Posted on January 10, 2014 by Janice Henshaw in The Vagabond Girl - Travel Stories

    My journey east has begun! I carefully hooked up my trailer at Oceanside RV Park and after a walk to the beach, headed out early to my hometown of Sidney to pick up a coffee before catching the ferry. I was also returning a cooking grate to the hardware store and hoping that I wouldn’t […]

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  • Happiness is actually pretty simple, isn’t it?

    Posted on January 10, 2014 by Janice Henshaw in all posts, Meditative Reflections and Photos

    Happiness is…gosh, I read a whole book on it! (Ok, at least 3 books, and a zillion articles). Research, facts, surveys, stories, how-tos, and after all of it I wasn’t any further ahead than when I started. But I kept thinking about happiness and noticing that sometimes the people I meet, and myself, are struggling […]

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  • “Sometimes it’s a boat, and sometimes it’s more of an Accident.”

    Posted on May 26, 2014 by Janice Henshaw in all posts, Meditative Reflections and Photos

    Now then, Pooh,” said Christopher Robin, “where’s your boat?” “I ought to say,” explained Pooh as they walked down to the shore of the island, “that it isn’t just an ordinary sort of boat. Sometimes it’s a Boat, and sometimes it’s more of an Accident. It all depends.” “Depends on what?” “On whether I’m on […]

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  • North West Ontario, Sleeping Giant Provincial Park Aug. 15, 2012 (390 Km from Aaron Prov Park)

    Posted on November 9, 2014 by Janice Henshaw in The Vagabond Girl - Travel Stories

    August 15th, North West Ontario, Sleeping Giant Provincial Park ($37.00 fee – it didn’t include power) I found it quite a boring drive from Aaron Park to Thunder Bay, scrubby forest on both sides of the road and an unbelievable amount of big trucks and construction slowdowns and stops – it all made for a […]

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  • Beauty requires strangeness?

    Posted on June 11, 2017 by Janice Henshaw in Meditative Reflections and Photos

    “There is no beauty without some strangeness.” — Edgar Allan Poe How I love that quote! In people, nature, art… it’s what gives us our uniqueness our quirky personalities and if we are generous enhances our love for others and ourselves. Janice Henshaw Photo © 2017

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  • Obatanga Provincial Park Aug. 18, 2012

    Posted on September 27, 2015 by Janice Henshaw in The Vagabond Girl - Travel Stories

    Up at 8, and straight to the laundry which is a ½ km walk away. It sure feels good to have fresh sheets on my bed. I had an awesome shower too, the best one so far because of the decent pressure. This park is large – it has 9409 hectares and its park lakes […]

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  • The magic of enthusiasm

    Posted on December 8, 2015 by Janice Henshaw in all posts, Meditative Reflections and Photos

    “There is real magic in enthusiasm. It spells the difference between mediocrity and accomplishment.” – Anonymous Oh to be surrounded by people with enthusiasm! The world becomes a brighter, happier place, infused with light and hope. Photograph © Janice Henshaw

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  • Being happy – such a gift

    Posted on August 21, 2015 by Janice Henshaw in all posts, Meditative Reflections and Photos

    “There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty of being happy. By being happy we sow anonymous benefits upon the world.” Robert Louis Stevenson It’s so easy to be unhappy… and there are so many reasons that can be marshalled to justify such a demeanor. But oh, what a gift to be […]

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  • Meditative Reflections and Photos
  • Life Stories
  • Vagabond Girl – Travel Stories

Testimonials

Just lovely!  The photos are beautiful, and the articles are interesting.  I was left wanting MORE! I love, love, love what you are creating.

Lori W.

I found your writing to be lovely and the pictures are just as wonderful.   Keep writing from your heart.  It shines through your words. Clear, simple and profound.  Thank you for sharing this.  It drew me in and warmed my heart.

Patricia D.

I’m extremely impressed with your writing skills and also with the layout on your web blog.
Keep up the nice quality writing, it is rare to see a great blog like this one today.

Rosalie

What a great book you wrote for our family! It doesn’t get much better than that! MH

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