Reflecting a Life publishes practical guidance on recording, preserving and reflecting on a life — your own, or someone else’s while you still have the chance to ask.
Why this exists
Almost everyone intends to write down what their parents and grandparents remember. Very few people get to it, and the reason is rarely indifference — it is not knowing where to start, what to ask, or how to record it without making the whole thing feel like an interrogation. The practical questions are what stop people, so the practical questions are what this site answers.
What you’ll find
Guides to interviewing relatives and getting past one-word answers. Question banks organised by theme. The technical side of recording audio and video that will still open in thirty years. Organising photographs and documents. Writing legacy letters, eulogies and obituaries. And a set of reflective prompts for looking back at your own life rather than someone else’s.
How it’s written
Articles are drafted with AI assistance from a structured outline and then checked against a quality gate before publishing — minimum depth, no invented statistics, no fabricated personal anecdotes, and no material presented as expert advice where a professional is genuinely needed. Where something requires a solicitor, a doctor or a funeral director, the article says so rather than guessing.
Corrections
If something here is wrong, unclear or unhelpful, write to [email protected] and it will be fixed.