Life story work

So lately I've been thinking a lot more about blogging and how it's a really good thing to do. I think if I blogged properly, I could type what's on my heart and it could be quite theraputic.

This morning I've done some studying and I've been reading and hearing about 'life story work'. It's a process carried out usually between a child and an adult. The child has normally been placed in care and is about to go into foster care, but this isn't always the case. Basically it's normally carried out with a child who has been separated from their birth parents for some reason. The work can take the form of a book, a photo album, a video etc etc. The child and adult work together piece-ing together parts of the child's life. Together they talk about what happened, try and gather information, revisit old places. Generally it conjures up a lot of emotion and helps the child to come to terms with what's happened in their life. And because it normally ends up as a book, the child has something concrete, something physical to look back on and it can also be helpful for foster parents to understand their foster child.

So there was a case study of a boy Jamie who with his social worker, Sophie made this life story book. He hasn't seen his mother since he was 5. He was placed in residential care by his father for stealing 36p and then placed in foster care. Jamie and Sophie visited Southend, where Jamie had lived in a flat with his dad and his new girlfriend and her children for a short while. They were able to go to the social services department and re-live the memories there. His foster mum gave him loads of photos of him and his foster brothers and sisters. Jamie and Sophie were able to piece together his life through photos, meeting people, visiting places etc. It was a difficult process, but has enabled Jamie to come to terms with what happened when he was separated from his birth family. Through this he has been able to re-establish contact with his sister too. A made-up case study I know, but this work really does go on; people really do make life story books and social workers often use this as a form of therapy.

Now I know I'm still with my birth parents and that I've not had to experience care or any trauma like that. But I was thinking how amazing it would be if I made a life story book. There's not any huge issues for me to untangle and piece together, but how amazing would it be for me to have a life story book? Take for example when I die (which at some point I will) family and friends around me won't necessarily know my whole life story, but how cool would it be for them to be able to find it out through a book I'd made. One thing picked up on in my reading this morning was that the process of a life story book never ends - even after Jamie and Sophie had made the book up to the present day, Jamie moved on from there and found a girlfriend and they had a baby - he has more he can record in his life story book.

So I might make a life story book. I was thinking about doing it on my blog, but actually I think I might make it in a ringbinder. Watch this space...

It reminds me of the devo book I've been reading - The Ransomed Heart. It's by John Eldredge (great man) and so far it's talked about how our life is a story and how God is part of that story and how we are part of bigger picture. Neat ey?

Thinking about my life story reminds me of a song called Lifesong by Casting Crowns:

Empty hands held high
Such small sacrifice
If not joined with my life
I sing in vain tonight

May the words I say
And the things I do
Make my lifesong sing
Bring a smile to You

Let my lifesong sing to You
Let my lifesong sing to You
I want to sign your name to the end of this day
Knowing that my heart was true
Let my lifesong sing to You

Lord, I give my life
A living sacrafice
To reach a world in need
To be Your hands and feet

So may the words I say
And the things I do make my lifesong sing
Bring a smile to you

Let my lifesong sing to You
Let my lifesong sing to You
I want to sign your name to the end of this day
Knowing that my heart was true
Let my lifesong sing to You

Hallelujah, hallelujah
Let my lifesong sing to You

When I re-affirmed my baptism vows in 2004 I had to give a testimony. A guy was filming it and then edited it later on and made a baptism film. The line he picked out to quote me on was "I wanna make God no. 1 in my life". That has kinda become my moto for life since then. Ok so it's fallen by the wayside sometimes, but ultimately it's still there and that's what I wanna do. So, lifesong is my prayer for today...

Lord, may my life be a beautiful song to you today and always.