It’s the end of July, almost five months since COVID-19 entered our consciousness and upended our lives. In March we asked you about how your community and activities were being shut down. In May we asked how you were grappling with the changes that had occurred. Now businesses have reopened in many parts of the country, and a lot of people are refusing to wear masks. Tell us how things are where you live. How will you approach the future? Do you think life will resume as it was before, or do you envision a new normal? Think back … what do you miss most from the “before times”? Share your pandemic summer stories forward.

Most elementary schools no longer include cursive penmanship in their curriculum. The thinking is that printing by hand is sufficient, and with digital technology, typing is faster and more easily and quickly read. Think back…when was the last time you received a handwritten letter, wrote a letter by hand, or even took notes by hand? How does handwriting play a role in your everyday life, or does it? Share your Cursive stories forward. 

Protests were a part of our lives in the ’60s and ’70s, whether we participated in them or not. Civil rights and Vietnam were the issues back then. For the last three years there have been protests against the current government. Now there are protests by Black Lives Matter and allies, because of the police killing of Black people, catalyzed by the murder of George Floyd caught on witness video. Think back . . . Did you protest in your teens or twenties? Why or why not? What is your take on the current wave of protests? Share your protests stories forward.

Thomas Wolfe’s novel tells us You Can’t Go Home Again. Whether or not you agree, you undoubtedly have memories, good or bad, humorous or serious, of your hometown. On this Fourth of July, think back … What was your hometown like? What did you love or hate about your town when you were young? If you have moved away, do you ever wish you still lived there? How does it compare with the place you live now? Share your hometown stories forward.

Whether you call it kismet, fate, destiny or simply coincidence, a chance encounter can change your world in an instant or inspire a chain of events that shifts your life’s course. Think back… can you remember an encounter that had a profound impact on the moment or led to unexpected opportunities? Was there someone, whether well known to you, a slight acquaintance, or a total stranger, who changed the path of your life, or whose life you changed? Share your chance encounters stories forward.

In our youth, Reader’s Digest had a popular feature called “Was My Face Red,” where people sent in their embarrassing stories. We’ve all been embarrassed at one time or another, either by something we ourselves did or said, or by somebody else’s words or actions. Think back . . . Do you remember a time when an incident left you red-faced? Wishing the earth would open up and swallow you whole? Or when you caused embarrassment to another person? Share your embarrassment stories forward.

Whether they came in the mail or were purchased from the newsstand, magazines were a part of our lives. Perhaps they are still part of yours. From My Weekly Reader  to the Utne Reader, from Teen to Time,  from Mad to Mademoiselle, we learned about our culture and society from magazines. Think back … what were your favorite magazines? How did they influence you? Do you read magazines today or have you given up paper for digital versions? Share your magazines stories forward.

Memorabilia translates as “things to be remembered,” and most of us have saved items with sentimental value such as photographs and letters. Some of us have also saved favorite concert and theater programs, and a few of us have even saved report cards, children’s baby teeth, and long outdated address and appointment books. Think back…did you or do you collect autographs, travel souvenirs, trading cards, political buttons, military medals, or collectibles related to an important person, organization, or event? Have you displayed your memorabilia in frames or is it collecting dust in storage? Share your memorabilia stories forward.

Recipes can be treasured and passed down from generation to generation, or they can begin in your kitchen. They can be closely guarded secrets or happily shared with anyone who asks. Some of us still have collections of favorite recipes on cards or in cookbooks. Others have tossed these in favor of Internet searches. Think back … What are some of your favorite recipes? Where did they come from and what memories do they evoke? Is there one you would share on Retrospect? Share your recipes stories forward.