Teacher617
March 19th, 2007, 07:26 AM
My mom's 80th birthday party was yesterday. She looked like a million bucks! It was an open house format for 3 hours, so people came and went which allowed Mom to spend time with each guest, without feeling overwhelmed.
When the bulk of the guests was there, I put on the video (http://web.mac.com/trrteach6) of scrapbook pages, music, and birthday wishes from family members that I'd made. At first Mom didn't understand what she was seeing ... then when she realized, began to narrate the photos on the screen, telling people, "Oh, that's my high school best friend." or "That was the farm that I spent all of my childhood summers at." It was like she was seeing everything all over again, for the first time. She asked how I got everything into a video like that, and I explained what I could.
Lots of the people at the party were actually in the photos ... they loved the memories and the music. One suggested that I go into business putting these videos together for others. Thinking back on the hours I spent on just this one, I simply said thank you. ;)
No tears in front of others ... Mom just seemed enthralled to see her life on the screen. She'll have a chance to watch as many times as she wants. I gave a few DVDs away to special guests, with a promise to make more for others.
I took photos of every guest with Mom, so she'll have those for her memory, too. All in all, it was a beautiful day for her, and she went home very happy. Me too.
Thanks, everyone, for your support and encouragement. You've been so important to this project's success! I'll spend the rest of the week here in Boston, then when I come home, I plan to take another of the courses offered here on this website. Who knows where it will lead! ;)
Tricia
When the bulk of the guests was there, I put on the video (http://web.mac.com/trrteach6) of scrapbook pages, music, and birthday wishes from family members that I'd made. At first Mom didn't understand what she was seeing ... then when she realized, began to narrate the photos on the screen, telling people, "Oh, that's my high school best friend." or "That was the farm that I spent all of my childhood summers at." It was like she was seeing everything all over again, for the first time. She asked how I got everything into a video like that, and I explained what I could.
Lots of the people at the party were actually in the photos ... they loved the memories and the music. One suggested that I go into business putting these videos together for others. Thinking back on the hours I spent on just this one, I simply said thank you. ;)
No tears in front of others ... Mom just seemed enthralled to see her life on the screen. She'll have a chance to watch as many times as she wants. I gave a few DVDs away to special guests, with a promise to make more for others.
I took photos of every guest with Mom, so she'll have those for her memory, too. All in all, it was a beautiful day for her, and she went home very happy. Me too.
Thanks, everyone, for your support and encouragement. You've been so important to this project's success! I'll spend the rest of the week here in Boston, then when I come home, I plan to take another of the courses offered here on this website. Who knows where it will lead! ;)
Tricia