Celebrating a life, in pictures, videos, and words. (for our full website dedicated to this work, visit Hold Tight Video)
Bob Maher Memorial Video
Several years ago, my friend, Jane, lost her 50-year-old husband, Rob, to cancer. It was a shocking loss, but Jane had young children, so she had to rally for them, despite her grief. In the process of preparing for Rob's memorial, she came to our house so I could help her assemble a typical slide show for the service. As we looked through her photos, she started telling stories about Rob. The stories were tender, funny and fascinating.
"Hang on a second," I said. And I ran to get a digital voice recorder and microphone. "Can you repeat some of those stories with the recorder running?" I asked. "These are just too important not to capture." For the next hour or so, there were plenty of tears, but lots of wonderful stories.
After Jane left, I edited together the best moments and, instead of assembling the traditional collection of photos to music, I let Jane's voice tell the story of her man, Rob. It turned out to be a touching tribute that was not only uplifting, joyful, and cathartic at the memorial, but it also gave Jane a tool to help her healing in the challenging months ahead. She remains grateful that she had the strength to share so honestly in such a vulnerable time. Even today, as her children grow, they now have this loving tribute to their father, narrated by their mother, that they can cherish for all time to keep his memory alive.
Below is a sample of a memorial video I just finished for one of Jane's friends. When Melinda lost her husband, Jane was quite insistent that making a video like Jane's was one of the best gifts Melinda could give to herself, her family, and her husband's memory. So, Melinda sat down with me and her children, as well as her husband's sister, and we looked at pictures while the family told stories. The results of which you can watch above.
While projects like these are challenging and can be emotionally wrenching to do, it is very satisfying to know I can help a family grieve, heal, and celebrate after a devastating loss. I'm honored to be part of this process and grateful that I can help.
Melinda's video for Bob is shared with her permission. Thank you, Melinda, Molly, Joe, Will and Maggie for sharing your story.