By: Dawn Overbye
Why should you tackle your family memories? We as people have wanted to document our time on Earth since cave people were drawing on cave walls. Just as the cave drawings are only a glimpse at what life was like for them, we to need our own cave walls to draw on. Our cave walls are our photos, home movies, and our written stories. If you want to write your story, it is up to you to do it. Document your military experience, how you started your own business, the birth of your children/grandchildren, the love and loss of what is life.
Your photographs can tell the story of your family face, how family characteristics pass from generation to another. People can pass on all sorts of traits. You could have the same intellect as your grandmother, your great grandfather’s determination, the same funny nose as your great aunt Rose. These are all a part of who you are. Having photographs/movies alone does not tell your story. They all have to be organized, so future generations know what they are looking at. The future generations need these artifacts in a format so they can view them and understand their importance. Do you want your story told, and who do you want to write it?
Photography has not been around all that long. In the beginning, it was reserved for special occasions that were few and far between. Very few photos were taken of any one person, they were expensive and cherished. Photographs were passed down from one generation to the next. Many times they were split among the living children, so the next generation maybe got a handful of photos of their loved one. As time has gone by the number of photos taken has increased, it is estimated that 1.6 trillion photos were taken in 2016 alone. Many people have entire closets designated for photos/slides and home movies. So many people are paralyzed to get rid of them, but the volume is so massive that they become a burden. Future generations will not accept the burden of the family history. Not because they don’t want the images and stories they hold, but they want it condensed into a searchable database that can bring more meaning to their lives than a storage unit filled with deteriorating memorabilia.
Why now? You might think you will leave this job for your children. First, the knowledge you have of dates, places, and people cannot be replicated. Future generations need you to help tell the story. The second problem is that VHS tapes are deteriorating by the minute. The printed photos are losing their vibrancy, and if left too long they will no longer be visible. Some turn blue, green and yellow. Magnetic photo albums with the sticky pages are particularly problematic. The acid in the glue is fading the photos, much like in the movie Back to the Future. Your history is disappearing, you need to take the time to tell your story.