25 questions
Hardship & Resilience
The losses, setbacks, and hard seasons — and how they found their way through.
The hard seasons — the losses, the setbacks, the years money was tight — are often where a person's character was forged. Asked with care, these questions about hardship and resilience let a parent or grandparent share not just what happened, but how they found their way through, and who helped them.
Approach these gently, and only when the moment feels right; some answers take time, and there is no need to push. Recorded by voice, these stories of endurance become some of the most meaningful a family can inherit — proof, in their own words, of what the people before us came through.
Tell me about a hard time you came through. What did you do to get to the other side of it?
Tell me about a time life knocked you down and you found a way to get back up.
Was there a time when money was very tight? Tell me about how you got by.
Tell me about a time you were very afraid but did the thing anyway. What happened?
Tell me about a setback that stung at the time. What did you do next?
Describe a time you tried something and it didn't work out. What did you do the morning after?
If you'd like to share, tell me about a time you or someone close to you was seriously unwell. How did you get through those days?
Tell me about a time you had to start over with almost nothing. Where did you begin?
Tell me about one of the hardest decisions you ever had to make. What was going through your mind?
Tell me about someone who helped you through a difficult stretch. What did they do for you?
Was there a time you had to leave a place or a home behind? Tell me about the day you left.
Think back to a hard winter or a lean season when you were a child. What do you remember about how your family managed?
Tell me about the day something difficult changed the course of your life. Where were you when you heard the news?
Was there a time you lost work you were counting on? Tell me about how you found your footing again.
Tell me about a time you had to stand up for yourself when it wasn't easy. What did you say?
If it feels right to talk about, tell me about a time you had to carry hard news for your family. How did you hold everyone together?
Tell me about a fear you carried for a long time and the day you finally faced it.
If you'd like to, tell me about a time you had to heal slowly from something. What got you through the longest days?
During a hard time, was there a small daily thing that kept you going? Tell me about it.
Tell me about a time you helped someone else through their own hard patch, even while you were struggling.
Tell me about a time something worked out against the odds. How did you pull it off?
Tell me about a mistake you worked hard to put right. What did you have to do?
Was there a place you went to gather your strength when things were hard? Describe what it looked like.
Did someone once say something to you that you held onto during a hard time? Tell me about when you heard it.
Tell me about a time you surprised yourself with how much you could handle.
Want these answered in their own voice — and kept forever?
Storykept guides your family through these questions by voice. No writing, no pressure. Free to start.