In the span of two days, I had crafted her obituary, scanned in hundreds of photos, helped plan her service, then wrote her eulogy, and delivered it.

At that time, starting a business was not even on my radar. I was just trying to honor someone I loved. But then the most unexpected thing happened.

After my grandma’s service, friends and family came up to me. The story I had told of her life had moved them. They heard parts they had recognized and learned stories of her life they had never known. A few of her friends even asked if I would write their obituary, speak at their funeral.

Then I went back to my corporate job and back to raising my family. But a couple months later, I was asked to write another family’s tribute.

Then another.

And then another.

Somewhere along the way, I realized I wasn’t just writing eulogies and obituaries - I was helping families tell the story of a life.

I look at my son now and imagine what he’ll know of his great-grandma, Writing about her life changed the way I think about the stories we leave behind and the importance of preserving them for those who come after us.

The stories we write become part of how our children come to know the loved ones they never got a chance to meet.

Let’s make sure the people who come after us inherit stories, not just dates.