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I need ideas...anyone wanna put on thinking cap?
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<blockquote data-quote="Marguerite" data-source="post: 147185" data-attributes="member: 1991"><p>A couple of ideas here.</p><p></p><p>First one I'm taking from a post of yours the other day, when you mentioned seeing a car with marines stickers on it turning into the same gas station as you, and you announced to the driver, "I'm a Marine Mom too!"</p><p>Why not start a fairly informal Marine Moms support network? There are so many things you could do, include share concerns with each other for each other's kids, support one another when dealing with what you're dealing with right now, maybe you could include writing letters to other Marines who maybe don't get enough correspondence (maybe not enough family?) or just general letters of support. And if people who don't agree with the war get 'thingie' about it, this is about supporting the people serving over there, which is a very different thing to any political points of view. This - very different. They need support. You need support. And sometimes people are a bit too nervous to reach out, when they need to.</p><p></p><p>Second, and there's no reason you can't do both - here is a variation on the "read to sight-impaired seniors" option. Why not LISTEN to them instead? Take down their stories for them? Everyone has a story, and some of the stories held in trust in the memories of our seniors will be so soon lost forever if we don't record them. If you don't feel you're a good enough typist/writer, then get someone else to transcribe. But what is desperately needed - someone with a tape recorder and patience, to interview people, to draw them out and get them to talk about stuff they probably think nobody is interested in.</p><p></p><p>A few years ago there was a travelling exhibition from the Australian War Memorial, the exhibition focussing on prisoners of war. Because husband's father had been a German POW in WWII, we had some artefacts to lend the exhibition. I was asked to speak about them, to tell people the story behind these treasures (a hand crocheted cap, made from unravelled blankets; and his coat, given to him by Red Cross after he finally got out). After that I was approached by the exhibition people to MC a Q & A session with some POWs who were to tell their story. One man in particular was very shy about getting up and speaking, he didn't feel he could do it. Plus he didn't feel anybody would be interested. Turned out, he'd been in Changi and then on the Burma Railway - and he thought people wouldn't be interested?!?? So I got him started. At first he kept glossing over bits he said "were not important" such as how they were transported to Changi from where they were captured, and what their daily life was like in the camp. Then he seemed to forget there was an auditorium full of people, and I was able to hand him the microphone and sit back. He was off and talking, as if he'd never had the chance before. People were spellbound and we went half an hour over time, because nobody dared move or even breathe, it seemed.</p><p>The best thing of all - I think he finally felt valued instead of ashamed, he realised he had something people really wanted from him and I think he also felt much better for having shared a lot of stuff he'd buried all these years. Even his wife, who was in the audience, said she'd never heard most of what he told us that day.</p><p>When he left you could see the load gone from his shoulders.</p><p></p><p>With your understanding of the military, maybe you could focus on those memories in particular. Or perhaps just ANY memories from the past, from your local history as well as another person's history.</p><p></p><p>There is a bloke in our area who makes a living from doing this - he interviews someone then writes it all up into a book for them. He's called the Memory Man. Maybe when difficult child 3's schooling is less on my shoulders I might give him some competition. But if for no other reason, a lot of families would love to know these stories from their parents and grandparents. </p><p></p><p>And of course, each person you interview is a new friend, because now you know everything about them. And their families will talk to you, and so on. It snowballs.</p><p></p><p>Sometimes we worry what to say when w meet new people. And sometimes we forget that the best thing to do most of the time is listen, instead.</p><p></p><p>Marg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Marguerite, post: 147185, member: 1991"] A couple of ideas here. First one I'm taking from a post of yours the other day, when you mentioned seeing a car with marines stickers on it turning into the same gas station as you, and you announced to the driver, "I'm a Marine Mom too!" Why not start a fairly informal Marine Moms support network? There are so many things you could do, include share concerns with each other for each other's kids, support one another when dealing with what you're dealing with right now, maybe you could include writing letters to other Marines who maybe don't get enough correspondence (maybe not enough family?) or just general letters of support. And if people who don't agree with the war get 'thingie' about it, this is about supporting the people serving over there, which is a very different thing to any political points of view. This - very different. They need support. You need support. And sometimes people are a bit too nervous to reach out, when they need to. Second, and there's no reason you can't do both - here is a variation on the "read to sight-impaired seniors" option. Why not LISTEN to them instead? Take down their stories for them? Everyone has a story, and some of the stories held in trust in the memories of our seniors will be so soon lost forever if we don't record them. If you don't feel you're a good enough typist/writer, then get someone else to transcribe. But what is desperately needed - someone with a tape recorder and patience, to interview people, to draw them out and get them to talk about stuff they probably think nobody is interested in. A few years ago there was a travelling exhibition from the Australian War Memorial, the exhibition focussing on prisoners of war. Because husband's father had been a German POW in WWII, we had some artefacts to lend the exhibition. I was asked to speak about them, to tell people the story behind these treasures (a hand crocheted cap, made from unravelled blankets; and his coat, given to him by Red Cross after he finally got out). After that I was approached by the exhibition people to MC a Q & A session with some POWs who were to tell their story. One man in particular was very shy about getting up and speaking, he didn't feel he could do it. Plus he didn't feel anybody would be interested. Turned out, he'd been in Changi and then on the Burma Railway - and he thought people wouldn't be interested?!?? So I got him started. At first he kept glossing over bits he said "were not important" such as how they were transported to Changi from where they were captured, and what their daily life was like in the camp. Then he seemed to forget there was an auditorium full of people, and I was able to hand him the microphone and sit back. He was off and talking, as if he'd never had the chance before. People were spellbound and we went half an hour over time, because nobody dared move or even breathe, it seemed. The best thing of all - I think he finally felt valued instead of ashamed, he realised he had something people really wanted from him and I think he also felt much better for having shared a lot of stuff he'd buried all these years. Even his wife, who was in the audience, said she'd never heard most of what he told us that day. When he left you could see the load gone from his shoulders. With your understanding of the military, maybe you could focus on those memories in particular. Or perhaps just ANY memories from the past, from your local history as well as another person's history. There is a bloke in our area who makes a living from doing this - he interviews someone then writes it all up into a book for them. He's called the Memory Man. Maybe when difficult child 3's schooling is less on my shoulders I might give him some competition. But if for no other reason, a lot of families would love to know these stories from their parents and grandparents. And of course, each person you interview is a new friend, because now you know everything about them. And their families will talk to you, and so on. It snowballs. Sometimes we worry what to say when w meet new people. And sometimes we forget that the best thing to do most of the time is listen, instead. Marg [/QUOTE]
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