Just yesterday I received a most wonderful letter from a Family Legacy Video customer. I really want to share it with you, because it shows what Family Legacy Video is all about – and it reinforces the value of preserving your precious family stories on video.
Here’s the text of the letter I received. I’ve removed the client’s last name for privacy reasons:
Dear Steve,
As Tom and I prepare for our second video shoot, I cannot help but reflect on the gift you have given our family. One year ago, my mother passed away. It was a devastating experience. Unknown to me, the funeral home had prepared a short photo montage set to music made up of 40 family pictures taken over the course of my mother’s life. The copy each of us received made all the difference. It helped us begin the process of celebrating her life – even in the midst of loss. I just wished we had captured her story while she was alive. She would have loved to be part of making her family legacy for future generations.
I think you know the next step. That very fall, I heard you speak of your Family Legacy Video program and of workshops you were developing to teach people how to capture their family stories for their children and future generations. Immediately I knew that this was what I had wanted for my family. Your inclusion of real family members telling their own stories combined with still photos (often hidden away in boxes) – and even super 8 motion picture clips – made family stories into a living treasure for everyone concerned. I knew I needed to know how to share this with my family.
Your workshops were wonderful. You not only gave us the hands-on knowledge of how to create a Family Legacy Video, but shared with us your years of experience using film, music, and user-friendly computer programs that make editing possible for even normal people like us. You turned what could have been a daunting technical task into a fun-filled family project. Tom and I now have been collecting archival data and family photos from his family in Boston and mine in Michigan and California. We plan to make two family videos right now, one for each family. I think we might just be ready to give them as gifts for Christmas!
But the real gift has been the focus you have given to both of us. We are so enjoying the experience of planning the videos, gathering the old pictures, talking to people about them, and visiting places we want to include. As I told you, we have even planned a trip to Ireland and France next year to document the places where our families came from. We can’t wait! In the meantime, all of our extended family has gotten involved, sending us photos and sharing memories. It has become a family memory all on its own. And we owe all of these gifts to you. Thank you for helping us make this happen!
With fond memories and gratitude,
Barbara and Tom
Tucson, Arizona