The month of May ended with National Family Week, and now in June we celebrate Father’s Day. Issues of families, parenting and care for family members across the generations are often in the news – but not always for the best reasons. We would do well to redress the situation.

The Care for the Family organisation promotes positive action to support hard-stretched families. As with everything, they say, large changes involve a succession of small steps. One such example concerns the treasuring of memories.

Have you ever come across an old ticket stub that brought back memories of a long-gone concert? Or an old school photo? Or perhaps the printout of your highest ever bowling score? They’re of no value to anyone else, but the memories they bring back to you are priceless.

And memories matter. It makes us smile to remember good times with our friends and family. It’s good to look back on precious times with our loved ones who are still with us, or now gone.

One idea to help you treasure your memories is to start a ‘treasure box’. You can do this for your marriage, parents, children, or a more general treasure box – with treasures from key moments in your life, and the lives of those you love.

So, a treasure box for a son or daughter could contain a few special mementoes from each year of their childhood: their prenatal scan, that first hospital wristband, a wobbly drawing of Mum, the first tooth, a special holiday photo, the very first valentine . . .

In time, your children will just love the chance to look through the box with you. Not only is it a priceless walk down memory lane for you, but it also tells them just how much you cherish them as an individual.

Recently, a resident in Redbond Lodge was delighted to be presented with a beautifully crafted book containing records of her Family Tree, complete with photographs, certificates and letters. Her family had made her special birthday even more memorable.

Having the will to get started, and the determination to continue, all pays dividends. You never know when they’ll come in handy! So how about starting today?