Me-Ann Laceste, a 2024 YWCA Women of Distinction Award Nominee launched her journal, Cherished: A Memoir Journal. On its back cover, it reads, “It is a journal that invites people to rediscover the moments that shaped their lives, from childhood memories to the unexpected challenges of finding home in a new land. With thoughtfully crafted prompts, this journal gently guides one through the stories one holds close—your favourite hometown dish, the games you played, the friendships that made you laugh, and the culture shocks that brought unexpected growth.”
The inspiration for the journal came when she was working as a volunteer at Pathways Serious Mental Illness Society in North Vancouver every Wednesday where she facilitates writing.
“Whenever I am driving, cooking, cleaning, or what have you, I think of writing prompts for the group. One morning, after a prayer, an inspiration came to collect these prompts and put them into a journal. This resulted in a ‘Lay Down Your Words’ journal prompt for the writing enthusiasts,” Me-Ann shares.
Her inspirations continued to come, and one day, she was inspired to write a memoir-themed journal prompt specifically for immigrants.
“Knowing that I, as an immigrant, have lots of stories to tell, I searched online for a similar idea but other than prompts for immigrants, there’s nothing else that I can find. Although I did the search after I have started putting the thoughts, ideas, and have copyrighted the work.”
Funny that during the process, she came across a comment while listening on YouTube- “Every time an old person dies, a whole library is burned down.”
She thought of so many people who have passed on ever since she arrived in Canada in 1990.
“Their stories have died with them except for some tidbits that we know about them. Not everyone can write a memoir, but this way, we can share our stories one prompt at a time. It won’t feel like such an overwhelming project.”
She hopes to have her children, nieces and nephews to spend time with their Lola, and fill the pages with their Lola’s stories. For her, this is an opportune time to spend together and something she would like to encourage.
“There are many elderly people in our community, and many lessons we can learn from their stories.”
Me-Ann adds, “This book is not just for them, of course. I am a first generation immigrant and I came here at 25 years old through the Foreign Domestic Worker Program. My stories will fill volumes. On that note, I will slowly work on Part 2 and 3 of this because our stories will not fit in just one journal.”
Cherished: A Memoir Journal, is available on Amazon.
