The memories and stories you have about your brother or sister are really precious. You can never have too many. So it’s never too early or too late to start collecting them. Here are some ideas on how to do that…

Get to know them

Looking back in the future, you’ll probably find it’s the little details you remember about your sibling that mean the most to you. There’s no such thing as too much information. There might be lots of things you’d like to know about them:  

• What are your dreams?
• What are your hopes for me?
• What do you remember about when we were kids?
• What did you want to be when you grew up?
• What is your favourite memory?
• What is your favourite place?
• What is your favourite colour?
• What is your favourite movie?
• What is your favourite food?
• What is your favourite song or band?

Get it all down

Memories can fade no matter how hard you try to hold on to them. Don’t trust your brain. Get this stuff down onto paper, onto a disk, or into the computer. You could add to it over time as you recall bits and pieces. Get collecting:  

1. Put together a photo album. Write little captions about what you remember about each picture.
2. Make a video or voice recording of stories and shared memories.
3. Make a memory box or scrapbook. Collect things that are special to your sibling and remind you of them – like photos, concert tickets, cards, clothes or jewellery.
4. Make a CD or playlist of their favourite songs.
5. Make a cookbook of their favourite recipes.
6. Let them live on, online. Create a website and put up photos, videos, stories, messages.  
7. Draw around their hand, record how tall they are, cut a lock of hair.
8. Collect their smell. Smells are really powerful in bringing back memories. Find out what perfume or hair product they use. Or write down that their room smells of football socks.

Everyone approaches end of life differently

Your brother or sister might like to look back over their life and tell stories, make video recordings, or scrapbooks, write letters and answer these kinds of questions. They also might not. Or they may not get an opportunity.

You can prepare memories on your own later. Or you could talk about stuff with other people that know them. It can be just as special to record what their friends or other people in the family remember about them too.

You’ll never forget your sibling. You wouldn’t be able to even if you tried.