Life Review - A Resource Journey



Life Review

By: _________________________________

Date: _______________

Life Review

A Life Review is an opportunity for you to write down your life story. A Life Review allows you to look back on rewarding times, sad times, and challenging times. This priceless information is typically lost through generations. It allows younger family members to connect to family history and the opportunity to learn from understanding the lives of others. It provides an affirmation of the significance of life experiences and often gives the author new meaning to life.

Tips for completing the Life Review:

*Answer each question as best you can. At first, you might only add key words. Go back over the questions a second or third time as rekindled memories bring back more forgotten memories. The more information you provide gives a better picture of your history. Keep in mind, you do not have to answer each question if you choose not to.

*There are a lot of questions, so TAKE YOUR TIME!!! Consider breaking the project up into several segments or amounts of time.

*Use the word “I” in telling your story.

*Don’t worry about spelling or grammar in your writing.

*Use photo albums to trigger memories.

*Call family and friends as an additional resource.

*Feel free to provide additional information not explicitly asked. There is extra space at the end of each section. You might also use this space to jot down notes for later sections.

*After you have completed the Life Review, choose your desired method to record it. You may choose a written biography, an audio or videotape, or a scrap book filled with pictures and mementos.

Early Childhood

What were your parent’s names? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How did they meet? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When did they marry? ___________________________________________________

Do you remember your grandparents? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When and where were you born? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Did you have any brothers or sisters? If so, list names and birth order. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

How did all of the siblings get along? Were you closer with one than the other? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Did you have any nicknames? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Where did you grow up? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Did your family have a religious affiliation? How important was this in your family? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Where did you go to school? What was your favorite subject? Describe some fun activities you did in school. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Did you have any pets? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What did you do for fun? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

One of the funniest things or stories during this time was… ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What was your favorite holiday? List any important holiday traditions. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What was your favorite present you received as a child? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Each family has “rules”. What were some “rules” in your family? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Who were your role models growing up? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What is your fondest childhood memory? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Any noted stressors during these years (injury, sickness, loss of job, death, natural disasters, etc.) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Additional thoughts: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Teenage Years

What was your first paid job? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When did you learn to drive? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Where did you go to school? What were your favorite activities? How far did you go in school? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What did you spend your free time doing? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Did you attend college? If so, where and what was your main field of study? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What was the best thing about being a teenager? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What was the worst thing about being a teenager? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Any noted stressors during these years (injury, sickness, loss of job, death, natural disasters, etc.) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Additional thoughts: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Marriage

How did you meet your spouse? Was it love at first sight? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

When and where did you get married? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Did you go on a honeymoon? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Where did you first live? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Did the two of you come from the same religious background? Did you attend services after you were married? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Did you have any pets? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Did you both work? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Did you get together with extended family for dinners? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Did you start any new traditions? (Holiday or otherwise) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What was the most difficult thing and wonderful thing about being newlyweds? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Any noted stressors during these years (injury, sickness, loss of job, death, natural disasters, etc.) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Additional thoughts: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Parenting and raising a family

Tell me about your children. (name, birthdate, interesting stories of note, etc.) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Did you both continue to work after the children were born? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Did you take family vacations? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Did you start any new traditions? (Holiday or otherwise) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Where did you spend the Christmas holidays? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Tell me what part religion played during these years. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What did your family do for fun? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

What was your favorite TV or radio show? ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Any noted stressors during these years (injury, sickness, loss of job, death, natural disasters, etc.) ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Additional thoughts: ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Hobbies & Interests

I used to enjoy… ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I currently enjoy… ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I would love to learn to… ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Insight

The most important values and accomplishments from my life I would like to pass on to the next generation are… ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I am most proud of my accomplishment of… ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

My proudest moment is… ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

One of the happiest days of my life… ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Additional thoughts

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Signed ____________________________________

References

“Strengthening Families and Communities by Sharing Life Stories”, HYG-5227-96, Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet

Creative Lesson Plans for Group and Individual Programs Vol. 3, Steven C. Greenwald, MSW, LCSW, SocialWork Consultation Group Publishing, 2006

“Life Review: The Benefits of Recording Your ‘Autobiography’”, Debra Wood,

“Living with Grief: Loss in Later Life”, Hospice Foundation of America

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