A Day Lost and a Lifetime Gained

Back in December, I sent in a box full of old 8mm films from 50+ years ago to Forever. One I was particularly interested in was me in Scotland as a child.

 I have the patience of a gnat. However, Forever sent an email to let me know that my conversion box had safely arrived. Then they sent me an email letting me know how much I owed for their services. Then they sent me an email letting me know when my order was lined up for production with an estimated date of when I could expect the conversion to be complete. That date was next week.

Yesterday morning, I received an email saying the work was complete. And that led me into a fantastic walk down memory lane. In real life. I could see my grandparents walking and interacting. I could see my mum, dad, aunts, uncles, cousins and family friends as real as if they were all still with us. I was so excited that I shared a few of the movies on Facebook with cousins. 

One in particular - the one I was anxious to see, has been shared and shared and shared since my grandfather had taken us to visit his brother's family, and two of my aunts. And because I have the premium video plan, everyone was able to watch the movies without having to download them first. 

The email from Forever came in about 10 am. I surfaced briefly at 6:30 pm to have a bite to eat and then was completely immersed in shared memories once again. Some might think I had lost a full day yesterday. But in reality, I gained an entire lifetime of memories. Memories really are priceless and precious. 

Not only did I gain back memories, but so did my cousins, aunts and uncles. Across two countries. We "gathered" on Facebook to share the stories, the memories and the laughs. We "gathered" via texts, messenger and on the phone to share as well. A day immersed in family. A lifetime of love and belonging deepened and strengthened. 

Isn't Forever expensive? Honestly? No. All of those reclaimed memories cost me less than others paid for a single film. And the platform allows me to share directly from my storage account. My family's memories are safe and secure and will outlast us by several generations. Immeasurable.