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It wasn't until weeks before my grandfather died that he spoke about the war.

My uncle, pen and paper in hand, was ready, scribbling notes about the days my grandfather spent huddled in foxholes in Belgium, his feet turning white, then crusty black, from trench foot.

The notes include recollections of my grandfather giving his food to begging children, even though he always got in trouble for it, and the German POW who painted him a picture of the bridge spanning the Rhine river.

Although only three pages, these stories, together with a small collection of letters my grandfather wrote as he embarked on his soldier's journey, revealed a sentimental and fearful side of him not even my mother knew.

Whether recorded by a family member or friend, or scribed by the person themselves, life experiences - from the most challenging and adventurous to the seemingly ordinary - provide invaluable context to people's families, communities and even their own lives.

"Stories are how we connect to each other and how we manage our lives and bring meaning to our lives," said Susan de Wardt, a writer and life coach in Steamboat Springs who facilitates personal writing workshops.

Often, personal stories are written as memoirs, which are autobiographical in nature but, instead of including every detail of a person's life, reveal snippets particularly meaningful to that person.

Colored by a writer's opinions, points of view and special details, even the most ordinary experiences can come alive with intrigue, beauty and meaning.

"Memoirs are about stories, the stories you tell with heart," de Wardt said.

Tapping memories

Unfortunately, many stories get lost because people worry their lives haven't been interesting or that they are not "writers." A bit of work with a writing coach or group, however, can be just what a person needs to inspire his or her memories and overcome writing challenges.

Carol Jacobson, a writing coach in Craig, helps older adults "mine their memories" during the Writing Memoirs class held on Wellness Wednesdays.

Encouraged by simple prompts such as a memorable sound or piece of clothing, the students write their assignments, then "sit, fascinated as they listen to each others' stories," she said.

Jacobson enjoys seeing participants improve their craft, using details to make their stories interesting.

She explained how one student, when told to write about something in her home, initially wrote a rather dull piece about her cat lounging on the sofa.

Months later, prompted by the same assignment, the woman engaged her peers with a story about a cut-glass china set, including its travels across the country, the special occasions it commemorated and how the light shone through its facets.

"The difference was astounding," Jacobson said.

The most meaningful of memoirs include the many shades of a person's life, such as challenge and sadness. One aspect of Jacobson's class is learning how to write truth, particularly difficult truth, respectfully by allowing facts and descriptions to speak for themselves.

"Writing memoirs is a whole lot of details," she said.

Finding value

When it comes to memoirs, there is no such thing as an ordinary life.

Adventures and journeys are obvious subjects for memoirs, but aspects of a person's everyday life also can be valuable.

Contending with impassable streets in the winter or making butter and keeping it cool in a well are the types of experiences that help give perspective to the challenges younger generations face in a fast-paced and confusing society.

"We're losing a lot of the richness, a lot of the understanding and a lot of the know-how that helps us get over hard times," de Wardt said.

Memoirs are important in filling the historical fabric of families and communities, but the process of writing a personal history is particularly important in helping the writer realize the value in his or her own life.

A life assessment, accomplished through memoir, can help alleviate depression in an older person who feels he or she has not accomplished enough in a lifetime.

"In helping people with the memory process, they get to capture the challenges and successes, and it really strengthens their understanding of self and accomplishment," de Wardt said. "It's really critical to have this life review, to say, 'Wow, my life really did make a difference.'"

The act of mining and recording memories also gives a person's stories structure, so that they are better able to articula memories to family and friends, creating a legacy not only on paper but through stronger bonds with those close to them.

"Sharing stories is a way to support each other," De Wardt said.

- Tamera Manzanares writes for the Aging Well program and can be reached at tammarie74@yahoo.com. Aging Well, a division of Northwest Colorado Visiting Nurse Association, is a community-based program of healthy aging for adults ages 50 and older. For more information, log onto www.agingwelltoday.com or call 871-7676.