A dear friend of mine who is quite the talented writer sent me the following vignette about her grandmother. Notice the details. GLADYS BROWN by Caryn Stott. She was an Irish colleen with a perfectly formed Bottecelli angel’s pouty mouth, periwinkle eyes and thick hair the color of licorice with the shine of a new limousine. She only stood 5’2”, but she could bend the entire universe to her will. She didn't cause things to happen with force, but with wit, grace, and the gentle ways of women born in the late 1800’s. With an air that would bring a description of “demure” to mind and yet, the word most used to describe her was “saucy,” she was not one to be trodden underfoot. 
When she laughed, it wasn’t the tinkling of a bell...it was full of gusto. She had always wished that she had been able, just once, to jump a train and travel like a hobo while she was young. There has never been a pigeonhole that could hold my grandmother. I suppose what I loved about her above all else was that elusiveness. The fact is she was so multi faceted. She was in many ways, today’s woman. Independent. Willful. Strong. Yet, she held the mystic, magical quality of yesteryear’s womanhood. Mysterious. Coquettish. So unbelievably soft. Ahhh, to be such a woman.
Caryn has a way with words and uses them well to describe her grandmother’s physical, spiritual, and emotional qualities. I can almost picture this woman from this well written vignette or excerpt that pays loving tribute to an important person that was a great influence on her grand daughter.
Hopefully you have someone in your family, no matter their age who can help you capture your family’s legacy in words. Gather their facts and info as well as stories from your youth to write a rough draft. Then, involve others in your family help you put flesh on the bones of your story. Perhaps a grandchild is a talented writer? Do you have a favorite relative that needs their life story written? Let’s have more stories submitted. NEXT TIME: Remembering Grandpa.