When a beloved grandparent dies, how do you keep that person’s memory fresh for your child who is very young? I recently talked to Stephanie, a friend who was struggling with her own grief and wondering how her six-year-old daughter would remember Grandpa, who had just died.
I
suggested that she interview her daughter about Grandpa, and preserve the girl’s
responses in a little memory book complete with family pictures. I told her I’d
made memory books for four different children. My hope was that
the parents would read the books to their children so the memories would never
fade. The grandparents would remain “alive” for the kids as they grew up; the
wisdom of the elders would stay vital in the young people's ives.
Stephanie
had a lot of questions for me. She wanted a sort of template. So here goes….
