Storytelling can surprise you sometimes. I truly have been enjoying writing the funny stories my family tells, but I just can’t today. I can’t tell a light-hearted anecdote about one of the cute kids in my family.

I was typing along on yesterday’s story about my big brother, Ronnie, and my Mom, just getting it down on paper, so to speak. This story has been told countless times through the years. It was an easy post to write.

Then, at the end of the story, I typed the line, “In loving memory of Ronnie and Mom. You will always be missed.”

Period. Full stop. Also, full heart and full eyes. From that place deep inside where emotions are tender and obey only their own reality, the tears welled up, surprising me. I had typed those two sentences matter-of-factly, to honor my Mom and my brother. And it is a matter of fact. I will always miss my Mom, gone 15 years now, and my brother who died the year before I was born. (By the way, if someone tells you “You can’t miss what you never had,” don’t believe them. And try to refrain from smacking them upside the head. Or not.)

So today, instead of sticking to my Write 31 Days theme, I would like to encourage my family, and all families, to get their stories on record—the stories from your past and the stories that are happening now. It doesn’t have to be fancy or pass any grammar checkers. Just write them. Or the next time you get together with your family, video them. I would love to see, in my own family, how our stories interconnect. And if any family member is interested in starting a blog, I would be happy to help. I’m not an expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I can help you get started.

Tomorrow, I’ll have another story ready. It will be short. Light-hearted. Probably involve a cute kid. But for today, my eyes are still brimming. And I just want to reminisce.

My sister posted this on Facebook today.

Don’t miss the rest of the Stories My Family Tells as I Write 31 Days this October. Click here to check out the wide range of topics from a wide range of writers.