Come and listen, all who honor God, and I will tell you what he has done for me.
~ Psalm 66:16 (GNTD)
I started writing because I realized how important it is to pass on family stories for the generations to come. I started writing because my mother didn’t. I wish I had talked to her about how she’d grown up in Iowa and married my dad. My ancestry searches led me to dates and facts, but not to who my relatives really were. I didn’t know their personal stories.
This is why, in the years just before the pandemic, Teri Surratt and I helped launch Create Your Legacy Book, where we explored ways to share the stories of our seniors’ group, including writing memories through pictures, personal art, prompts, books, and legacy letters. We had so much fun that the group solidified into the Seacoast Senior Writing Group and now provides a place to write and share the glorious moments where God blessed and challenged each of us.
We meet weekly in person and on Zoom. Members volunteer to read a story they have written, and the group offers encouragement and feedback. Hearing someone else’s story often sparks a similar memory within many of us and can then serve as a writing topic.
Sparking A Memory
Over the past two years, I have been able to view many of my memories through a different lens and see God’s hand in my life, how he has walked with me through the peaks and valleys. It makes me want to write even more.
There are many references in the Bible regarding sharing our stories. Exodus 13:8 (NIV) says: On that day tell your son, “I do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.” In Psalm 78:3, it says things that we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us. And Joel 1:3: Tell it to your children, and let your children tell it to their children, and their children to the next generation. Sharing our stories is important.
Writing A Legacy
Seacoast Seniors Writing Group is not made up of professionally trained or published authors, but of men and women, who just want to share memories or write a good story to pass along to those who come after we are gone. Members join our group to meet new people, become a part of a small group, and leave a legacy through their written memories.
Those who have been writing for many years mentioned wanting to improve their writing skills in a like-minded group.
“It helped me deal with the trials and joys in my life which helped make me a stronger person and stronger believer in God.” – Paula
“Writing has helped my walk with God by sharing and expressing on paper what is on my mind when I talk to God.” – John
“It is good to look at our life experiences and see them through the “lens” of our faith. This group has met my need for a place to feel free to express myself and learn from others.” – Bonnie
“Our God plopped me down in the middle of a group of courageous and talented people and I am the better for it!” – Peggy
We have all found a kind, supportive, and encouraging small group. No matter your season of life, we hope you will start sharing your own stories of what God has done in your life.
Seniors Writing Group
Meets Wednesdays 10:00 – 11:30 am at the Mount Pleasant Campus
For more information, email Chuck Ross, and to receive some of our members’ stories, email Mickey Brackett for a digital copy.
If you would like to share your story with Seacoast, visit seacoast.org/shareyourstory.
