Complete Your Journal

1. The Beginning, Where It All Started

What was their full name?

What did people usually call them?

When and where were they born?

What do you know about their childhood?

Where did they grow up?

What was their childhood home like?

Who were the important people in their early life?

What were they like as a child?

Were they naughty, quiet, funny, adventurous, shy…?

What did they enjoy doing when they were young?

What did they dream of becoming?

What is your earliest memory of them?

2. Family

Who was in their immediate family?

What were their parents like?

Did they have brothers or sisters?

What was their relationship with them?

Were there any special family traditions?

What family occasions do you remember most?

Were there any family sayings, jokes or traditions that have stayed with you?

What made their family special?

3. Growing Up

What were they like as a teenager?

Where did they go to school?

What subjects did they enjoy, and which did they hate?

Who were their closest friends?

What did they get up to together?

What music did they love?

What films or television programmes did they enjoy?

What was their favourite place to go?

What was their first job?

Do you remember their first pay packet?

What was their first car?

What did they spend their money on?

4. Love & Relationships

Who was their first love?

How did they meet their partner?

What do you remember about their relationship?

What made them fall in love?

What were their happiest times together?

Did they have a wedding or special celebration?

What funny or romantic stories do you remember?

What did love mean to them?

5. Becoming a Parent / Grandparent

Did they have children?

What were they like as a parent?

What did they enjoy doing with their children?

What family memories stand out?

Did they have grandchildren?

What were they like as a grandparent?

What special things did they do for the children?

What did they teach their family?

6. The Things They Loved

What were their favourite hobbies?

What music did they love?

What was their favourite song?

What was their favourite film?

What was their favourite television programme?

What was their favourite food?

What was their favourite drink?

What was their favourite place?

Did they have a favourite holiday destination?

Did they have a favourite sport or team?

Were there things they simply couldn’t stand?

7. Their Personality

How would you describe them in three words?

What made them laugh?

What made them angry?

Were they a morning person or a night owl?

Were they organised or chaotic?

Were they adventurous or a homebody?

What were their greatest strengths?

What were their funniest habits?

Did they have any phrases or sayings they always used?

What little things did they do that were uniquely them?

8. The Funny Stuff

This section is important because Memory Lane shouldn’t become relentlessly sad.

What is the funniest thing they ever did?

What is the funniest thing that happened to you together?

Did they ever embarrass you?

Did you ever embarrass them?

What was their funniest mistake?

What story about them always makes you laugh?

What was their most ridiculous habit?

Did they ever have a nickname? Where did it come from?

What was the funniest family story involving them?

9. Adventures & Memories

What were the best holidays you shared?

What was your favourite day together?

Did you have any great adventures?

Were there places you travelled together?

What spontaneous things did they do?

What ordinary day became an extraordinary memory?

What photograph immediately takes you back to a particular moment?

If you could relive one day with them, which would it be?

10. The Difficult Times

This needs to be handled gently.

What challenges did they face during their life?

What difficult times did they overcome?

What did those experiences teach them?

When were you most proud of their strength?

Was there a difficult period that ultimately brought people closer together?

What did they show you about resilience, courage or love?

11. Their Achievements

What were they most proud of?

What achievements meant the most to them?

What did they accomplish that perhaps others didn’t know about?

What were they particularly good at?

What contribution did they make to other people’s lives?

Who did they help?

What difference did they make?

12. The Little Things

This could become one of the most beautiful sections.

What did they always have in their pocket or handbag?

What did their home smell like?

What did they always have in the fridge?

What did they say when answering the telephone?

What clothes did they always wear?

What was their favourite chair?

What did their handwriting look like?

What was their laugh like?

What sound immediately reminds you of them?

What everyday thing will always make you think of them?

13. If You Could Tell Them…

What would you thank them for?

What do you wish you had told them?

What would you ask them if you had one more conversation?

Is there anything you wish you had done together?

What would you want them to know about how much they meant to you?

If you could have one more hour together, how would you spend it?

14. Their Legacy

What did they teach you?

What values did they pass on?

What qualities of theirs do you see in yourself?

What qualities do you see in your children or grandchildren?

What will your family carry forward because of them?

How would you like future generations to remember them?

What do you hope their story will mean to the people who never had the chance to meet them?

15. One Last Question

If you had to describe their whole life in one sentence, what would you say?