The Feeling of Recording a LifeStory - You Can Feel It, Too!
In an earlier blog post, I wrote "I Now Know Why I Do What I Do" http://tinyurl.com/3eysgls as a passionate reaction to a good movie I watched. Today I feel compelled to share why I think you should record the LifeStories of your loved ones. It's origins are found in the feelings I get at the end of most every LifeStory interview I conduct. I find it hard to describe all the feelings that race through my mind and my heart as the final question I ask is answered. That question I ask is, "Do you have any closing comments to leave for future generations?" The interviewee knows these are the words they end with...those closing words of thought and wisdom that future generations will, hopefully, connect with. For some, it is a synopsis of their life's lessons learned, passionately translated to teach loved ones they might not ever meet. For others, it is a smile and a simple, "I love you." And yet, for others, it is a joyful smile, thank you, and sigh of relief that their task of sharing their story is complete.
But what is common at the conclusion of most all the LifeStories I conduct is the closing of the eyes and deep breath that acknowledges the sealing of a legacy left for others...a legacy that means much more that money, or property, or any material possession they might pass along.
It's not just at the end of the interview that I feel the importance of the LifeStory. I get wonderful bits of the feeling as the interview progresses. The fun thing is that it can come at a moment when I least expect it. The best example of this is in one of my favorite LifeStories ever recorded. A clip of that recording is found on my website http://www.lifestoriesalive.com/ (just click on "View Demo" and select "Individual"). It shows how, in the middle of a moment of great joy, a heartfelt moment of sadness hit the gentleman I was interviewing...and hit him quite unexpectedly. After viewing his emotion, there was no doubt how he felt about his Dad. And for me, there was no doubt how I felt about being the one to bring that to his family.
The good news is that you can experience that feeling, too. Just decide to do a LifeStory for someone you love.