Memories, Real and Imagined: A Guided Legacy Journal (Printable + Fillable PDF)

What shaped you? Who walked beside you? What do you want those who come after you to know?

Memories, Real and Imagined: Reflections on Legacy, Belonging & Care is a guided journal for exploring the stories, values and people that made you who you are, and deciding what you want to pass on.

Illustrated with nine original paintings from Hélène Montpetit’s series Memories, Real and Imagined, this 34-page journal brings art and personal reflection together. The paintings draw on childhood, family, faith, community, language and belonging in mid-twentieth-century Montreal.

While the artwork is rooted in a particular time and place, the journal welcomes readers from anywhere in the world, across cultures, faiths and secular perspectives. You don’t need a connection to Montreal or a background similar to the artist’s. The reflections and thoughtfully researched questions invite you to explore your own experiences, the people who shaped you and what you want to pass on.

The journal moves through four parts:

What Shaped My View of the World  
Reflect on the culture, beliefs, institutions and traditions you grew up with.

Who Helped Shape the Person I Became  
Remember the mentors, family members and friends who influenced you.

What Do I Want to Carry Forward  
Explore the values, lessons, memories and hopes you want to preserve and share.

My Legacy Letter  
Bring your reflections together with guidance for writing a legacy letter to loved ones and future generations.

Use it on your own, share it with a parent or grandparent, explore its questions in a discussion group, or give it as a meaningful gift. It offers a space to reflect on your life and begin creating a keepsake, so that the stories worth remembering are not lost.

Choose your format

Printable PDF  
Lined pages for handwritten reflections. Print at home or take the file to a print shop for printing and binding.

Fillable PDF  
Unlined pages with fillable fields for typing your reflections directly on your computer and saving your responses.

Printable + Fillable PDFs  
Both versions, giving you the flexibility to write by hand or type, whichever suits you.

Every format includes the complete 34-page journal, nine original paintings and guidance for beginning a legacy letter.

Details

• Digital download only; no physical item is shipped.  
• US Letter size (8.5 × 11 inches).  
• Your purchase includes the format selected above.  

Artwork, research and writing © Hélène Montpetit. Personal licence: print pages as often as you like for your own use.