Deb Holton-Smith's and Jan Martin’s new book, My Journey: Share Your Keepsake Memories, is both a collection of gorgeous photographs turned into watercolors, and a series of prompts on every page that spark memories in our elderly loved ones. Born of the two friends’ ‘Teacup Project,’ in which they took floral arrangements in teacups to nursing homes to brighten the residents' days, My Journey helps families record their aging loved one’s memories in a timeless keepsake.
“Families take My Journey with them when they visit their beloved elderly,” Deb explains. “They sit down with the book, look at the watercolors and ask the questions. Then they can record the stories that come along. There is a community center in New York that uses the book with teenagers. It helps the teens learn how to talk with seniors, and the seniors love to share their stories.”
Longtime Osprey residents, Deb and Jan are driven by faith and love of family. Their goal with My Journey is to help record the past before it is gone.
“My parents have passed and there are so many things I wish I knew about them but it’s too late to ask,” Jan explains. “There are questions in the book like, ‘Did you grow up in the country or the city?’ It’s amazing the stories that older folks have to tell if you just ask them the questions.”
Sidebars
1. Deb Holton-Smith's photographs were put through an app called ‘Waterlogue’ that transforms them from real-life stills into watercolors. The images in the book are colorful and gorgeous and help spark memories.
2. Deb and Jan’s book came out of their ‘Teacup Project’ in which they brought floral arrangements in teacups into nursing homes to help brighten the residents' days. They realized just how many memories seniors have to share.
3. My Journey: Share Your Keepsake Memories, $24.95, is 108 pages long, printed in full color, and bound as a lay-flat hardcover book. See this month’s Table of Contents for a photo of the authors, and visit Teacupproject.com for ordering information.