Your Legacy - Memoir Space

What’s the legacy you want to leave?

“Your story is the greatest legacy that you will leave to your friends. It’s the longest-lasting legacy you will leave to your heirs.” —Steve Saint

You know you have a writer in you. You lived for decades. You went through the roller coasters of life. You have so many stories to tell. Many times, these stories may seem ordinary to you but are actually extraordinary to others.

When you have left this earth 30, 40, 50 years from now.. what do you want your contribution to have been?

What if your life stories can impact someone’s life?

Or perhaps, do you have stories you want to tell your daughter but already find it hard to relate to her.

Or what would you like your future grand and great-grandchildren to know about you or about life?

. . .

Hi there, my name is James Bacarro. I’m a son, a brother, a husband, a dad, a friend, a student of life. My home on the web is at jamesbacarro.com

Why I started this community website?

Reason #1 – My dad

My dad passed away in July 2018. He was only 4 days away from meeting my daughter (4 months old then) in person. My wife, my daughter and I live abroad. Dad’s illness accelerated fast and God was probably too excited to be reunited with my him. He was only 60 when he departed. We didn’t talk much on his last days. Aside from the geographical distance, he’s not much of a talker. A man of few words. And so am I.

There were no goodbyes nor parting messages. I just wished that he would have left something, like you know.. a farewell letter or message of some sort. His departure was quite sudden and he’s also probably wasn’t ready to say goodbye.

I want to keep the memories I have with my dad. So part of what I will be doing here is to write stories about him, about who I am today because of his life. Later on, as my daughter grows older, I can get back to these stories and relay them to her. Somehow, she would get to know her grandpa whom she didn’t get a chance to meet.

Reason #2 – My mom

My mom is a teacher. She’s well loved by her students mainly because she’s a passionate and enthusiastic storyteller. I felt that my mom’s stories deserve a bigger audience outside the four corners of a classroom — or of an auditorium (she often gets invited to speak in different events). So for the past 2 years, I help her share her stories to the world by building her a personal website.

And so I thought, huh, I’m sure there are many out there like my mom — who would have great stories to tell but they don’t have the platform, a suitable space to tell their stories.

Reason #3 – Personal Growth & Journey

I want to be a better communicator and storyteller. I’m here to grow and keep learning. I believe this project would generate tons of wisdom that would help me and all the readers grow.

And in my quest to do meaningful work, I figured that this is my little contribution to the world.

Who is this for?

For the retired ones

..or those who plan on retiring soon.

You’ve lived through the decades and amassed a ton of experiences. Your stories are treasures waiting to be found by those who are looking for the specific types of treasures you possess.

You also have some spare time right now and you wish to fill that time with work that matters.

I understand your challenges using the technology of this modern world, that’s why my goal is to make this process a super easy one for you. I’m great with working on the current technology though I would tell my wife, “You know, 2 decades from now, our daughter would be teasing us on why it’s so hard for us to learn these new hi-tech gadgets.”

For the younger ones

..like me. Do you want to tell stories to preserve your family history? Or you simply want to grow your writing skill through deliberate practice?

If your answer is “YES”, please feel free to join the community.

For the teachers at heart

I feel you. I was a teacher for four years – right after college. As teachers, we love to tell stories – it’s how we capture the students’ attention, and how we get them excited for what would have been a boring subject matter.

You can share the stories you tell in this space.

What’s the goal?

My goal here is to help you create the legacy you want to leave with the stories you tell.

Your goal is totally up to you.

Do you wish to tell stories and lessons of your past that your children and grandchildren haven’t heard of or that your future great-grandchildren would be eager to know?

Are you willing to be open and vulnerable, and tell stories about your past that explains why you do what you do? Something that answers your family’s longtime question – “Why is mom always like that?”

Have you been keeping a journal and thought of putting some of the content you wrote online?

“But James, I don’t think my life stories are exciting enough.”

You have to keep in mind that your stories may seem ordinary to you but amazing to others — especially to your family. If you ask the songwriters of big hit songs, they would tell you that they would never have thought that their song would actually be loved by millions.

Tell stories of your adventures, of how you went broke, of how you got that big scar on your right leg..

or of how you met the love of your life.

“Memoir and family story-telling is about creating a legacy and a heritage, showing where you came from so you can know better where you are going — and even how you want to change that legacy… In a short time, your today becomes your yesterday. What are you preserving for your family? ” – Linda Joy Myers