As my grandchildren get older, I've noticed that they have started asking questions and love to hear stories. About what things were like "back when you were little Yammi." Stories about their dads. And stories about they themselves when they were teeny tiny.

Although I'm not old (and I'm not sure at what age I will say I am), I am at a point where I want to start documenting these things so that my grands have a narrative to look back on when I'm no longer here or able to tell the stories. I want them always to know how much I loved them. How much I loved being a mom and a grandma. I want them to know about me so that they can tell their children about me.

What questions do I want to answer for them? So many but here are my top 25 to start:.

ABOUT ME

1) When were you born and what was life like?

2) What did you do for fun when you were a kid?

3) Who was your best friend when you were a kid? When you were in high school? What did you do for fun in high school?

4) What was your favorite food when you were a kid?

5) What did you want to be when you grew up? What did you end up doing?

6) What is your favorite thing that you've done in your life?

7) What were my great grandparents like? What did you love to do with them?

8) What's something that you didn't do that you wish you had?

9) What's something that you did that you wished you hadn't?

10) Tell me about my grandfather?

11) If there was one piece of advice that you'd want to give me, what would it be?

12) What made you the happiest?

13) What made you the saddest?

ABOUT THEIR MOM/DAD AND AUNTS/UNCLES

1) What did they like to play when they were kids?

2) Did they fight?

3) Tell me about a time when my mom/dad got in trouble. What did they do?

4) What were there like as babies? Toddlers? Teenagers?

5) What did you like best about being a mom?

6) What was their favorite food?

ABOUT THEM

1) Tell me about when I was born. Were you there? What did you think when you first saw me?

2) Tell me your favorite memories of me growing up.

3) What songs did you sing to me?

4) What is your favorite memory of us together?

5) Share with me your favorite recipe

6) How did you find out that you were going to be a grandma? How did you feel?

As I am writing these, I find my eyes welling up. Not because I'm sad but because reflecting on the answers to these questions makes me realize just how full my life has been. And how that needs to be shared with my grandchildren.

STARTING A GRANDMA JOURNAL

Journaling has been a go to for me throughout my life. Depending on my age or what I happened to be going through, how I journaled varied. As a child, I kept a diary. At the loss of my young husband, I kept a journal of my feelings day to day. Currently, I journal each morning regarding my plans, goals, and affirmations.

At the age of 58, it's time to add a Grandma Journal to the mix so that I can start answering these questions and add new ones as they are asked or as I think of them. This will be something that they will be able to read whenever they'd like to - and something that they'll have to remember me by when I'm gone. And hopefully something that will continue to make them feel close to me for a long long time.

Some people choose to do this in the form of a video or CD. I prefer the act of putting pen to paper.

Sitting

Reflecting.

And writing.

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