Wondering what you will leave behind from your life that really matters? The question of legacy is an important one. More and more people are realizing that family stories and memories passed along from one generation to the next, are priceless in a unique and vital way. One such way to leave a legacy for tomorrow, is by making a family documentary today.
A family documentary is a family history video, created from the viewpoint of an individual, or several living family members. Memories and stories from one or more generations can be brought together. Filmed interviews are interwoven with photographs, letters, maps, and other memorabilia that may be available, to help tell the stories and capture the big events as well as nuances of personality, character and voice, remembered in a single individual, or an entire branch of the family tree.
Here are some of the ways in which family documentary has kept its legacy value over the years:
Instead of “knowing” a grandparent just for their elderly, and often misleadingly serious appearance in a photo, seeing childhood photos and hearing stories about an ancestor’s growing up can touch a personal note with a younger generation.
Being able to put a family member into the story of the Great Depression, a major war, or even the beginning of the rock and roll era, can help the study of history, and the human experience, come alive in new ways.
Family stories are often full of adventure, risk-taking, humor, and poignancy. Once experienced, family storytelling may become a favorite part of family gatherings, meals, and holiday traditions.
Family and personal documentaries inspire even more storytelling. They are truly the legacy gift that keeps on giving.
Memories that are not repeated, documented, and shared, become lost. Family stories do not show up in official documents that can be retrieved through public records. The kinds of memories that only family members have of each other include the ups and downs of living, the heartthrobs, the choices, and the values that guided a person or a couple.
Family documentary preserves family history and increases the chances that future generations will value and carry on the tradition of documenting, adding to, and retelling the stories through new eyes in every generation.
When a legacy has the effect of imparting values and traditions that continue to connect generations well into the future, it is more than valuable; it is priceless.
Can one person make a difference for generations to come? Yes indeed.
Want to find out more about family documentary? Visit Susan Saunders’s site on how to create a living legacy for your family.