SESSION 1 - WINTER 2021
WEEK 1: PROMPT # 1
What did you read under the covers with a flashlight? “Good night” I told my parents and then snuck away under the blankets to keep reading. Remember “murder” mysteries or sporting events on the radios?
WEEK 1: PROMPT # 2
There were the things we couldn’t touch. Old photos of people we didn’t know or couldn’t recognize, like your parents’ parents, your own grandparents, when they were young. Perhaps there were trinkets, keepsakes, or perfumes. Close your eyes and remember what you saw.
WEEK 2: PROMPT # 3
A first car is a milestone. Maybe you got it to commute to school or to get a new job. Perhaps your dad got a new car and you were allowed to drive his old Junker. What freedoms did a car afford you? What did it feel like the first time you were behind its wheel?
WEEK 2: PROMPT # 4
There was a particular teacher who you were positive hated you. Remember how big the 5th graders were when you were a first grader? Your favorite subjects and the ones you liked the least, the girls or boys you loved to tease.
WEEK 3: PROMPT # 5
What games did you play growing up? Were they “indoors” or “outdoors” games? Did you shoot marbles, play kick the can in the middle of the street, draw hopscotch on the sidewalk, jump rope?
WEEK 3: PROMPT # 6
There are certain smells and tastes that can transport you right back to a specific moment in time. Perhaps you are sitting in Grandma’s kitchen or perhaps it was your own Mother or a favorite Aunt? Did you help to cook a holiday meal? Maybe Grandma let you lick the bowl from the chocolate cookies? Did you have a favorite food that only Grandma could make just right? Feel free to change the prompt to fit your memory.
WEEK 4: PROMPT # 7
In some families, birthdays are national holidays. In others they pass without fanfare. Was there a special tradition or a favorite cake? Or maybe a special birthday party? Did you have to share with your siblings, or did you get to be the star on your birthday?
WEEK 4: PROMPT # 8
In some families, birthdays are national holidays. In others they pass without fanfare. Was there a special tradition or a favorite cake? Or maybe a special birthday party? Did you have to share with your siblings, or did you get to be the star on your birthday?
WEEK 5: PROMPT # 9
Of course, grandma only has eyes for grandpa, and vice versa. But what about the first time you noticed that the opposite sex might offer more than cooties? Did you have class together? Were you neighbors? Where did you first see them? What were they wearing? What did you like about them?
WEEK 5: PROMPT # 10
When I picked up my high school yearbook, I was transported back to 1958, holding the book under my arm as I wandered the halls of William Penn High School in Harrisburg, PA looking for friends to sign it. What was high school like for you? Do you recognize the people in your yearbook? Do you recognize yourself? What do the things people wrote remind you of?
WEEK 6: PROMPT # 11
Some say a sibling is a friend for life. What about you? Were you co-conspirators or sworn enemies? What about the time you covered for each other or a secret you shared? You can choose at what age, which sibling, just one or all of them. Feel free to replace sibling with cousin or another family member or a best friend.
WEEK 6: PROMPT # 12
What was your family doctor like? Was he kind and friendly or were you scared when you had to see him? Did he give out lollipops if you were good? And oh, those shots!