Protect Yourself: A Message for Everyone

Written by M.K. Wilson

This short book contains a powerful message for tweens, teens, and young adults. It contains eleven tragic stories with photographs of young people who died too soon. They are just like the person who lives next door. Some of them had previously experimented with drugs, but many became victims of fentanyl given to them by friends or drug dealers who had laced pills with deadly fentanyl.

The author includes photos of the victims which highlight their personalities. A successful model, athletes, musicians, honor students: lives snuffed out before they had the opportunity to bloom. Letters from their parents magnify the loss experienced for each family. Wilson’s bottom line is that each young person must PROTECT THEMSELVES. No one can rely on a promise or the word of a “friend” who might be an enemy in disguise.

All of us can work together to wipe out the fentanyl epidemic. Take the first step today by reading this book.

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COLLECTING MEMORIES FOR YOUR CHILDREN

There’s something special about looking back through treasures from your childhood. A long forgotten picture or story that you wrote in fourth grade brings you back to memories of you and your family today. Wouldn’t it be great to preserve memories for each of your children?

CONSIDER THESE SUGGESTIONS FOR COLLECTING AND PRESERVING WONDEFUL MEMORIES OF CHILDHOOD FOR EACH MEMBER OF YOUR FAMILY:

Obtain a box for each child’s memories.

If you already have designated storage space for each child’s mementos, it will be easy to stash new items into their “treasure box.”

The box can be as large as you have room to store it. Decorative boxes of different shapes and sizes are available at your local big box or craft store.

Or consider purchasing a plastic storage draw unit from a big box or stationery store. Label each drawer with your children’s names. When you have something to add, open the drawer and pop it inside.

Save school papers and projects.

Put the date, the grade when the task is completed, and the name of the child’s teacher on the back of the papers and the artwork you want to save.

Depending on how specific you want to provide, you can include the name of the school and the address you lived at during that time.

Preserve special photo memories.

You can use computer storage for files of pictures for each child. Back up your pictures each month to a flash drive or an external hard drive.

Or you can take pictures, print the ones you like, and date them on the back of the print. Add a brief description or record one, if you prefer.

Store hard-copy pictures in the child’s memory box. Then placing them in a fireproof safe or safe deposit box at a bank will protect them from loss or natural disaster.

Document special events.

Another fun way to preserve memories is by recording your observations and thoughts about your child’s experiences. Recording a one or two-page summary will help you recall them later.

So many of us would love to remember our childhoods for many years in the future. Take a little time now to document these occurrences for them.

Some suggestions include successful moments in the classroom, dance recitals, sports triumphs, or graduations.

But do not forget about struggles. Overcoming obstacles or failures that made a child stronger is just as important to recall.

Don’t forget those funny moments. A funny situation or a silly question make lovely memories.

To sum up, recording snippets of time from your child’s experiences through writing, pictures, and video are now available to us through modern technology. They are valuable tools to make documenting our memories simple and efficient.

Ten or twenty years from now, you will be able to sit down and view these memories through the eyes of two adults who have shared so many memories.

Don’t neglect to build a family history because you are too busy with everyday chores. I can personally attest to wishing that I had the technology available today to preserve more of my own children’s memories.

START CREATING YOUR FAMILY’S HISTORY TODAY!