For twenty years I spent a great deal of time videotaping aging grandparents and their history, visiting seldom seen relatives, growing children and grandchildren and many events, before and after. When the information is fresh, viewing these videotapes was limited. However, now that 30 years have passed since some were taken, viewed with a current eye, they have become priceless. In the past few years I have converted over 100 to DVDs and am finding more in the house I had forgotten about. Technology will continue to change and periodically make the media on which they are stored, obsolete.It is not impossible to upgrade them yourself, but it is bloody time consuming.
For the past two days, a cousin of mine has been visiting I showed her a DVD of my parents and her brother (all deceased for many years). The tape was made when my Dad was 100 years old and my Mom, 88. My cousin, George, would have been about 55. It is difficult to describe the plethora of feelings that I experienced as i played this DVD for her. While I was seeing my parents, realizing that there was not a wrinkle on either face of my parents, yet seven years later, both were gone; father at 107 and mother a few months earlier at 95. My cousin watched her brother with tears streaming down her face saying repeatedly, it is almost as though he is here
As an anniversary gift to friends a few years ago, my husband and I videotaped her parents talking about their life together. Her father was awed by the technology back in the early 80s and I said to him, "You may never get to see your grandchildren and know them, but they will see and know you." Perhaps many do not care or need to share these memories with family they little know. I cherish the people I saw briefly and might have forgotten but for these view at a moment audio and visual reminders of them.
For the past two days, a cousin of mine has been visiting I showed her a DVD of my parents and her brother (all deceased for many years). The tape was made when my Dad was 100 years old and my Mom, 88. My cousin, George, would have been about 55. It is difficult to describe the plethora of feelings that I experienced as i played this DVD for her. While I was seeing my parents, realizing that there was not a wrinkle on either face of my parents, yet seven years later, both were gone; father at 107 and mother a few months earlier at 95. My cousin watched her brother with tears streaming down her face saying repeatedly, it is almost as though he is here
As an anniversary gift to friends a few years ago, my husband and I videotaped her parents talking about their life together. Her father was awed by the technology back in the early 80s and I said to him, "You may never get to see your grandchildren and know them, but they will see and know you." Perhaps many do not care or need to share these memories with family they little know. I cherish the people I saw briefly and might have forgotten but for these view at a moment audio and visual reminders of them.
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