Some questions are lost forever when we wait too long to ask.
Whose answer do you wish you had more of?
A parent or grandparent? A best friend?
What do you wish you had asked while you still could?
Now turn the questions around.
What do you want the people you love to know about YOU?
You know you should tell the stories.
But will you?
Maybe you've bought the journal. Maybe you've even opened it.
And then you stare at the blank page.
What do you write?Where do you begin?
Most people don't need another blank journal. They need a reason to begin—and a little guidance along the way.
And sometimes, they need someone to help them keep going.
That's where The Story We Leave™ comes in.
TSWL isn't just about giving you pages to fill in. It's about helping you uncover the stories, ask the questions, and actually preserve them.
You don't have to finish your life story.
You just have to start telling it.
You don't have to be a writer. You don't have to know where to begin. And you don't have to tell your whole life story.
Start with one question.That's what The Story We Leave™ is about: helping you capture the stories that might otherwise disappear.
Explore Your Story →
Why I Created The Story We Leave™
After losing my husband, I realized how much we can lose when someone dies.
Not just the photographs and possessions, but the stories. The funny things they said. The ordinary moments. The memories behind the photographs. The things you wish you had asked. The things you never knew you would want to know.
That is why I created The Story We Leave™.
Because our stories are part of what we leave behind.
— Debb Daughtry
Founder, The Story We Leave™
Choose Your TSWL Experience
Preserve stories. Share stories. Connect generations. Choose the experience that's right for you.
Preserve Your Story
Guided journals give you the questions and structure to uncover, write, and preserve the stories you want your family to remember.
Explore Journals & Books →Share Stories Together
Meaningful prompts spark conversations, uncover memories, and create connections across generations.
How It Works →Work With a Legacy Facilitator
A trained TSWL Legacy Facilitator helps you uncover, organize, and preserve the stories that matter.
Memory Calls →Become a TSWL Legacy Facilitator
Learn the TSWL Legacy Method™ and gain the training, tools, and resources to guide meaningful legacy storytelling.
Explore Certification →Legacy Across Generations Initiative
The TSWL Teen Legacy Program™ helps young people listen, learn, and preserve the stories and wisdom of older generations and their communities.
Legacy Across Generations →Give People a Way to Be Heard
Legacy-focused resources help hospice patients and families preserve meaningful memories, messages, and moments.
Hospice & Legacy Work →
Stories Are for Every Generation
Explore the Legacy Across Generations Initiative™
Explore the Journals & Books.
You'll also find books for kids and coloring books for all ages.
What People Are Saying
“I received the journal, The Story We Leave™. It's fabulous. Every family, every person in America, or the world, should have this! Dennis Edgmon."
— Vancouver, Wa
“I wish my parents would've had this before they passed. It really makes you stop and think about your life. Donna Dotson.”
— Roswell, NM