A picture is worth a thousand words, but sometimes it’s the words that give the picture meaning. Last year for Father’s Day, my sister got my dad started on StoryWorth, which is a subscription of sorts that sends the person (in this case my dad) a question each week that they then write an answer to. There are lots of different questions and you can add your own as well. Some of the ones my dad has answered are “How did your parents pick your name?” “How different is life today compared with when you were a kid?” and “Are you more like your mom or your dad?”

I feel like my dad was skeptical of this endeavor at first, and I understand. I know how hard it can be to write a story each week. But for just about 52 weeks, he has done it, and it is an amazing collection of stories. Each week when my dad writes a response it gets e-mailed out to myself and my siblings. Reading those stories, I’ve learned lots of things about his life. And that’s where I think the words do matter. Some of his stories I’m now connecting with old pictures that I’ve seen. Without those words, they’re just an old picture. Now with some of the stories behind them, we understand a little more about his life and how he got to where he is today.

So, thanks dad for putting in the work that it took to write all those stories. They are memories and stories that we will always cherish. If you’ve got someone in your family that you want to learn a little more about, I highly recommend getting them a StoryWorth subscription.

Or maybe you can just make some new memories in the garden with dad. You’ll find lots of great garden gifts at Kerby’s to add something to your dad’s garden. I know that my dad has often received a fruit tree or addition for his veggie garden from me for various holidays. And if Dad wants to pick out his own gift, get him a Kerby’s Gift Card. Better yet, bring him out this weekend and share some time with him among the beautiful flowers, hardy shrubs, and tasty fruit trees. You know something will catch his eye, and who knows, maybe it will make a great story.

P.S. Keep an eye out for details about our upcoming Plants and Pets event, scheduled for 9am to 1pm on August 20th. During the dog days of summer, we’ll have a Saturday where you can bring your pets to the nursery, and we’ll have a pet photo booth for taking pictures, some refreshment stations for them, as well as learning stations for you about which plants are pet-friendly, both indoors and outdoors. We’re hoping it will be lots of fun for you and your furry friends.