Boyhood homes and childhood memories

Ahoy there, readers!  We are just back from a short cruise on the Disney Wish as part of the Disney Vacation Club Members Cruise, and what a great experience that was!  Our sons were able to join us, so we had lots of quality family time!  That gets harder to do as your children grow up and move out and live their own lives, so we are appreciative of the time we can spend together.  And we appreciate getting to know them as adults!  [That's so weird to me that they are now classified just as Adults, not Young Adults any more.]  We spent the four days onboard attending special events, concerts, and performances by Disney Legends and other talented individuals.  We dined in fancy (to us) restaurants and tried new foods.  We visited the Ardastra Gardens and Wildlife Conservation Centre in Nassau.  We relaxed in the water and on the beach at Disney's Castaway Cay.  We watched the new Haunted Mansion movie.  And we just enjoyed being together!

So what's that got to do with our Middle States trip, you ask?  Well, the Disney Wish's buffet area is called the Marceline Market as a nod to the town where Walt Disney lived as a youngster, and where he continued to support the community as he gained success through the years.  One segment of our trip will take us to the town of Marceline, Missouri where we'll explore the Walt Disney Hometown Museum and see where his family lived.

In addition to Walt Disney's boyhood home, our trip will take us to see the boyhood homes and/or birthplaces of Abraham Lincoln and Samuel Clemens.  I'm interested in seeing these early-life places and their artifacts and records because as the unofficial family historian for my family, I am wishing I had more documents, stories, photos from that same period of time for my grandparents and their parents.  

One of the presenters on the cruise was Leslie Iwerks.  Leslie is the granddaughter of Disney Legend Ub Iwerks who was very much involved with Walt Disney from the beginning.  Her father, Don Iwerks, was also a Disney Legend.  Ms. Iwerks is a film-maker and has produced several documentaries not just Disney-themed, but about important and relevant topics.  During her presentation, she talked a lot about documenting her grandfather's story and legacy because of the contributions he made to animation and film-making.  You can find out more by searching for The Hand Behind the Mouse.

I have also been listening to a podcast and following the Instagram stories of My Grandma's Diaries which is literally the reading of the host's grandmother's diaries from when she was 13 through young adulthood.  She wrote every day for many years, and her grandson and his friend who are producing the podcast are also providing historical context to fill out the entries.  He's so lucky to get to know his grandmother as a young person!

So, dear readers, my challenge to you is to ask your parent(s) or grandparent(s) to tell you something you don't already know from their childhood.  Something about where they lived, what a typical day was like, what foods did they enjoy, what chores did they have to do, who their best friend was, did they have a pet?  And if your parents / grandparents aren't still living, reach out to another relative from their generation and see if they can give you a glimpse into the past.  Too many times people look back and wish they'd asked those questions. Don't let that be you.

And if you want to help spark ideas for other readers, post the question(s) you asked your family in the comments below.  We look forward to seeing them.

~ Cindy D.