It’s weird how things happen in bunches. I spent time the other day talking with Whitney about her work with Sacred Stories. That evening I got a notification from my Google Photos with the “ 4 years ago today” pop-up. Four years ago, my mom was at our house for dinner, and, after dinner, I set up my camera and recorded her for about 45 minutes. It was one of the best things I’ve ever done. I asked her everything from her favorite childhood memories, her first kiss, her best friend growing up, the food she hated her mom making, and all sorts of other silly questions. She loved it. These were things she had not thought about in decades and would have passed away with her when she passed away.
In November 2020, we had a memorial service for her, and we played the videos along with a few hundred photos of her on a continuous loop on our television. I had been outside with my sisters for a bit and walked into the living room to find every one of her grandkids sitting there silently watching the videos. My mom shared information that not only did I not know about, but most of the rest of her family didn’t know about as well. I am so thankful I did that and only wish I had done more. I love still photography with all my heart, but video and voice add a different layer.
We have also had the same experience with our kids. They love seeing videos and will laugh at themselves and each other. Dade talking about how excited he was to get his first big boy bed or Camille laughing at her little girl voice or Blake seeing himself play flag football. We have the capacity to capture memories in ways that were so much more difficult in the past. Organizing them is the hard part! One of my friends has used an app that captures 1-5 seconds a day of video and saves it for the entire year and then watches it. It’s a great way to hold onto some of those silly or poignant moments.
I hope you capture the ones that are important to you.
Steve Miura is a Wealth Management Advisor at The Miura Group. Steve is a part of the Sacred Stories Advisory Group.