Sharing Your Memories
October 27th, 2007 | by Naimp | Posted in Family, Home |“My Mother is dying,” said the young woman that was sitting next to me on the couch. We were strangers; she had found me through “word of mouth.” She continued, “There is so much we would like to say to her before she leaves this world. I want to create something that she will treasure, something that will help her know how much we adore her, something that will make her smile.”
Slowly she pulled out a stack of envelopes; each one was numbered with a description of the contents written on the outside of the envelope. One by one we opened each of the envelopes, it was then that I was introduced to her Mother, through the photographs she held in her hands.
The first envelope contained photographs of her Mother as a child, teen and young mother. The story of her Mother’s life was contained in ten envelopes and over two hundred photographs.
I couldn’t help but remember a quote by Sy Parish, “Nobody takes a picture of something they want to forget.” It was obvious that this woman has brought a great deal of joy to many, now her children wanted to give back to her what she had always given so freely to them - joy.
When a loved one enters Hospice you can never be too sure of how much longer they will be with us. There was a sense of urgency to start and complete this project as soon as humanly possible. Within three days; over two hundred photos danced across the screen to thirteen different songs that best described this woman’s life.
There is a feeling of helplessness when someone you love is dying. All you want to do is love and comfort them during their final days. Photographs can help remind someone of times long ago; they can evoke conversation, laughter and yes, tears. Consider having a DVD Slide Show or scrapbook created for your loved one. Celebrate their life with them while they are still with you.
Over and over again I have heard people talk about how they just want to make their loved one’s happy in their last days. Funeral homes now offer slide shows, they wonderful for the family. Why wait for a funeral when you can enjoy reliving the past with them while they are still with you.
Betsy Bowen-Wegner lives in Columbus, Ohio Specializing in DVD Slide Shows and helping you to preserve your memories.
http://www.dvdsbybetsy.com