After losing his husband just months after they married, Scott Maxwell found himself misremembering moments from their life together as he struggled with grief.
“It made me panic when I noticed I was misremembering things,” Scott, 43, told the Glasgow Times.
The Stepps man added: “Your memory can sometimes be affected when you are going through grief.”
Scott’s husband, Paul, died suddenly in 2015 from heart problems.
“Paul was a great guy,” Scott said. “He was well liked and very popular. His death was such a shock.”
In the years that followed, Scott began working at a bereavement charity, where he learned about the value of journaling — but found he couldn’t do it himself.
He said: “I saw how valuable writing can be in helping people process grief, but I also realised that a blank page could feel overwhelming.
“I wanted to create something gentle that asked the questions you don't always think to ask, helping people preserve memories before they're lost. I knew that if I had a journal full of prompts, I could remember Paul more easily and never forget anything important again.”
The idea stayed with him, and on the 10th anniversary of Paul’s death, he finally turned it into reality.
The result is A Little Book of Memories, a guided journal designed to help people capture the moments, stories and everyday details that make someone unforgettable.
Starting with simple prompts, the journal gradually encourages deeper reflection. Questions include: what saying or phrase always makes you think of them? What song instantly reminds you of them?
As it progresses, the journal builds into a lasting keepsake that can be revisited and shared with future generations.
Scott said: “One of the hardest parts of grief isn’t just losing someone — it’s realising that, as the years pass, some of the little things begin to fade.”
The journal, which has been in development for years, focuses on preserving the small, personal details that are often the most meaningful.
“I made this because I wanted a journal like this for myself,” Scott said.
“I can overshare, but when it comes to my deepest, darkest feelings, I don’t give much away.
“Writing things down in the journal has definitely helped. It’s made me remember things I thought I had forgotten.
“There’s a section in the book for recipes, and I’m using that to jot down my husband’s famous ice cream cocktail and my gran’s soup recipe.
“At the time you never imagine you’ll forget those things, but years later they’re often the memories you miss the most. I hope this journal helps other families hold on to those little pieces of the people they love.”
He added: “Paul would be really proud of this journal, and he would have made good use of it too, as he lost a lot of people who were close to him.”
After finding comfort in creating and using the journal himself, Scott now hopes it can help others.
He said: “If someone else can get support from this, or just create it as a keepsake, then it is worth it.
“All I want is for it to help people. If it helps one person, that’s good enough for me.”
The journal has already made an impact since being launched on Amazon last month.
Scott said: “I’ve already had feedback from a girl I used to work with. She lost her grandmother around this time last year.
“She bought a copy of A Little Book of Memories for her mum, who has been sending the prompts to her brothers. Every weekend they meet up and discuss their answers. It helps them open up and share memories.
“The amazing thing is they are sharing memories the others didn’t know about, so they are learning more about their mum in the process.”
For more information on the book, or to order a copy, visit www.amazon.co.uk/Little-Book-Memories-Journal-remember/dp/B0H4VY4VQT/ref=sr_1_1
Share