How would you feel knowing that at any moment, you could see an interview  of your great-great-grandfather talking about his life?

This week, my son Tiger spent 30 minutes interviewing my dad and mom.  We recorded the whole thing using zoom.

He asked grandpa about his life in the Navy and his short stint as a Porsche owner.

He asked grandma about why she loves to garden and what her favorite foods are.

Several years ago, when my grandmother was in her 90’s, I decided to video my conversations with her.

I asked her about where she traveled, how she met my grandfather and what my mom was like as a kid.

When she passed at 101, I shared the recordings with my mom.  She said, “I learned things about your grandma I never knew.”  She cried.  I did too.

I like to imagine, decades (maybe centuries) down the road, future generations will have access to Pauline Yoder’s life story.

Hoping to continue this tradition of documenting our family members lives, I gave my son Tiger a mission this week:

Tigers mission:   Interview Grandma and Grandpa about their life.

Why:  They’ll love it, you’ll know more about your grandparents, years down the road this will be fun to look at.  

Step 1:  Call them to schedule a time to talk.

Step 2:   Tell them what questions you want to ask.

Step 3:   Interview them on zoom and record it.

Step 4:   Send a thank you note for their time.

Grandpa questions

• Why did you choose to join the Navy? Why not the Army, Air Force or Marines? 
• What did you do in the military and what did you like about it? What did you learn through that experience? 
• What was the scariest moment you faced during your career? What was the most proud moment?
• What kind of Porsche did you own? What did you love about it?  Was it fast? 

Grandma questions

• Why do you choose to work in the Garden? What’s your favorite thing to grow?   What new did you plant this year? 
• What type of wildlife do you have in your yard? Are there deer?  Snakes?  What kind of birds?   Do animals eat your plants? 
• Were your parents’ gardeners? If yes, what did they grow?   What were your favorite foods as a kid?   
• What’s your favorite food to eat? Favorite dessert?    What’s the weirdest food you’ve ever eaten?

If not, I hope this inspire more connection and deeper understand of those we love.