One story, kept
60 min · 60 minutes planned
The whole program in miniature: every participant tells one true story and leaves with it captured — written or recorded. Teaches the founding principle that one story truly kept beats a whole life planned and abandoned.
Works everywhere — hospice volunteers with families, senior centers, school groups, faith communities. This is the entry point: no preparation required of participants, and no one needs to bring anything.
By the end of the hour
- Every participant leaves with one true story told and captured, in writing or as a recording.
- The group learns and feels the norms — permission not pressure, confidentiality, the right to pass.
- Every participant can make a basic voice recording on a phone by the end of the hour.
The session, minute by minute
Welcome and norms
Say the three norms plainly: anything is passable, stories stay in the room, and nothing gets recorded without the teller's yes. Then say what today is: "Everyone leaves with one story kept. That's the whole goal — one."
The story your family always tells
Offer the prompt: "What's the story your family always tells — the one that comes out at every holiday?" Quiet thinking time; jotting is welcome, not required. If someone is stuck, offer backups: a story about how two people met, a kitchen disaster, the pet, the road trip. Tell your own in two sentences to show how low the bar is.
Pairs: tell the story
Pair people up (trios if odd numbers) and have each person tell their story out loud, a few minutes each way. Telling before capturing matters — the second telling is always better, and hearing a partner laugh is the moment people realize their story is worth keeping. Circulate quietly; don't hover.
Recording basics, demonstrated
Demo on a phone everyone can see: open the voice memo app, hold the phone a hand's width from the mouth, say the date and your name, tell the story, stop. Rules to say out loud: quiet corner beats fancy equipment; don't restart for stumbles — the ums are the voice; two to three minutes is plenty.
Capture: record or write it
Each participant captures their story — voice memo in a quiet corner, or longhand on paper for anyone who prefers writing. Both count fully. Help with phones without taking the phone over; the participant should press the buttons. Recording their own voice, some people freeze — offer to step away, or let their pair partner sit with them.
Close: one word, and what happens next
Around the circle, one word for how that felt — passing allowed. Then the homework that isn't homework: "Before next time, if you'd like, notice one more story you'd want kept. Just notice it." Preview session two: bring a handful of photos, printed or on a phone.
Materials
- Participants' own phones (a shared voice recorder or tablet for anyone without one)
- Paper and pens for those who prefer writing
- Printed prompt cards — the question banks at /resources/questions print well
- Tissues within reach of every seat
- A quiet corner or side room for recording
The gentle moments
What to expect in the tender minutes of this session, and how to meet them. Read this part twice.
Tears at the first telling are common and usually good tears — the story matters, that's why. Don't stop the pair work for them; a quiet check-in afterward is enough.
Someone will say "my stories don't matter" or "I've had an ordinary life." Don't argue the point in the abstract — ask about the kitchen, the first job, the neighbor. Ordinary is exactly what descendants ache for.
If a participant's story is about someone who died recently, let it be told without redirecting to something lighter. Being heard is the help. Check in with them at the door.
Next: Session 2: The shoebox session · or back to the full curriculum. Questions or training conversations: [email protected].