Gift ideas for literary companionship
reading, storytelling, biography, journaling, photo-journaling
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Intergenerational gifts to celebrate “El Dia de los Ninos – Day of the Child”
El agujero negro
By Alicia Molina (Author), Enrique Martínez (Illustrator)
Camila had a little problem. Her mother´s birthday was around the corner and she didn’t know what to give her. “If I sit under the stairs and think, I can figure it out in a little while.” She settled under the stairs that led to the garden and thought for a little while. Then she realized that the more she thought, the bigger the problem became.
El país de Jauja
By Segovia Francisco (Author), Do you want to come with me to the Country of Jauja? The path is very difficult to find; to achieve this you must observe; when the full moon rises, then follow the sun to the other side of the sea.
Literary Companionship
Binders for Memory Journals
Begun in 2001 and continued until 2011, the collection of memory journals for Mother and Dad contained full-page daily entries. Initially, they were written as a record of activities of the day, inserted into a transparent plastic cover, and posted on the table-top easel where Mother and Dad would be seen leaning in to review the previous day’s events at their breakfast table in the morning.
The plastic transparent covers on the front and back of the binder were filled with favorite 8″ x 11″ photos of Mother, Dad, caregivers, and family members.
Memory Jar
It could be any container, really! Ours was a Christmas tin since we gave it as a gift for Mother and Dad’s 60th wedding anniversary during the holidays. Family members, including children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren were invited to write five favorite memories on five 3” x 3” pieces of paper. At a family dinner, we took turns around the table – five times – reading these to our parents. Over our final years together, these were read again and again – sometimes by Mother and, on occasion, by someone reading to her.
Simple Little Red Diary
Mother had kept a diary off and on throughout her life including her college years and, more recently, in a five-year period during which time they wintered in Sarasota. The little red five-year journal was such a treasure!
While working at my desk late at night, she would come in wearing her night clothes – ready for bed – and sit in her rocker close-by, reading softly. I would hear her giggle over an entry, which always prompted her oral reading of that portion for me to hear.
Document Binders With Transparent Covers – for Family History
Over the years, Mother and Dad had accumulated numerous stories of family history – some in books and some typewritten – which chronicled the lives of their extended families. We bought these binders from Amazon to keep the typewritten documents protected. Reading them brought such joy to Mother who dearly loved her family, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Books – too numerous to mention
So many books! This beautiful book was given to my parents by a care partner. Mother loved to read in her oratorical style during our ranch years. Here she is quietly reading to Dad. He is dutifully listening. But as I approached, he smiled and twiddled, waving his fingers at me, and went back to listening. Oh, yeah – make no mistake – they definitely knew what was going on around them.
