Christmas Gift Ideas – at the Book Store

Posted on November 29, 2005 by moonbridgebooks

Well, the holiday season is upon us and I want to remind you that books and bookstore gift cards make great presents! The recently published Cherry Blossoms in Twilight: Memories of a Japanese Girl would appeal to anyone who has lived in Japan or has loved Japan… or anyone who enjoys learning about other cultures. The illustrations, done by my mother as she tried to explain concepts to me, are adorable and remind me of the artwork of Gyo Fujikawa. Many older adults have loved this book because it brings them back to their own childhood memories. Cherry Blossoms is available through Amazon or through the website www.moonbridgebooks.com.

I’d like to suggest giving Grandma or Grandpa (or Mom or Dad) a blank journal book along with Cherry Blossoms or any other book of personal stories, whether autobiographical or fictionalized history. The gift of a journaling book would encourage your loved one to record his or her own stories. Reading Cherry Blossoms can give ideas of what to write about as well as help recall those old memories, as it is recent history familiar to our senior adults today.

An alternative gift suggestion would be to give a family memory book such as To Our Children’s Children by Paul Vatter, or Your Story: A Guided Interview Through Your Personal & Family History, both available on Amazon.com. Browse through the Amazon reviews of these books before you buy. To many people, these books work best when used to provide examples of questions to ask. A blank journaling book will then allow plenty of space to write about events and stories of the person’s own choosing.

Blank journal books are a great gift idea for teens, too. My daughters like to ask me about my own childhood stories, but unfortunately I can’t remember many. Journals can be used by teens to record interesting events and stories as well as the thoughts and feelings around those moments. They can begin by writing down stories they remember from their younger days. Unlike a diary, which is a daily run of thoughts, this journal would include descriptions of happenings or thoughts or poems the author would like to remember in the future. These writings can be a special delight to look back upon when older – and provide the basis of a life-story recording later.

So, check out the book stores while you’re shopping for Christmas gifts. Include a nice bookmark as an added touch. Give the gift of reading – and remembering.

Linda Austin
“Cherry Blossoms in Twilight”
http://www.moonbridgebooks.com
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The Significance of Cherry Blossoms

Posted on November 26, 2005 by moonbridgebooks


In Japan, the land of symbolism, cherry blossoms are not just another pretty flower. They are a metaphor for life – beautiful, but lasting only a fleeting moment in time. The delicate petals, so lovely in spring, will fall within a week’s time, carried away by wind or rain. Fluttering like tiny birds, they sail from the trees to land as late spring snow upon the ground. Each year, the Cherry Blossom Festivals bring many people to the parks to view the blossoms, contemplate their meaning, and enjoy food and drink to celebrate the fullness of life.

The book, Cherry Blossoms in Twilight, is a glance backwards, a reflection upon the life of an elderly woman. Her memories, both beautiful and painful, are held dear to her heart. Her past whispers in a voice only she can hear, beckoning to the child that still plays in the rice paddies and chases boats made of grass that float down the stream. Those memories bring alive the people and places she has loved, but to her children, those memories bring their mother alive, help them know who she is, help them know who they themselves are.

Live in the present, but remember the past to reflect upon and learn and delight from it. So, “gather ye memories while ye may,” to paraphrase the poet Robert Herrick. Gather them by the armload and make them permanent in whatever way you choose. “Old Time is still a-flying.”

Linda Austin
“Cherry Blossoms in Twilight”
http://www.moonbridgebooks.com
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Cherry Blossoms in Twilight

Posted on November 25, 2005 by moonbridgebooks


Welcome to Cherry Blossom Memories. This weblog will be a family-oriented site, dedicated to families, memories, and making memories. I have recently published Cherry Blossoms in Twilight: Memories of a Japanese Girl, which is the story of my mother’s life as she grew up during the Depression years and experienced World War II. It was a lot of hard work writing this book and doing the seemingly endless job of editing it, but this was a labor of love in honor of my mother … and this is a story that I knew would have an audience wider than our own family so I had to write it in a professional manner. Sure enough, readers have loved discovering the life of a Japanese girl in an era passed.

The goal of this weblog, however, is to encourage others to record their own family memories – your own or that of your parents, your grandparents, and even aunts, uncles, or beloved old friends. Particularly in the case of our senior citizens, one cannot wait too long. Their twilight times are here; their memories are in danger of disappearing into the everafter – treasures lost to those they leave behind. Please don’t wait.

Linda Austin
“Cherry Blossoms in Twilight”
http://www.moonbridgebooks.com
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