New LifeStories Update

We don't do this for every LifeStory we publish (or we'd be accused of video spamming!) . . . but two more came in today and, frankly, I am procrastinating some financial analysis that I need to do so I recorded this short segment to tell you about them.

"The Box" By Gail Smith

A fan of Priceless Legacy, Gail Smith, sent me this poem of her creation. I think it captures beautifully the emotions that attend our vital work. (With apologies for the formatting that that blog will impose on her work!)


“The BOX”

Often cardboard, tattered and stained, long forgotten and unexplained!

The contents vary, yet so the same, pictures, letters, our life proclaim!
We all have one, unique, yet not, a trail of life, memoirs forgot

The values vary, some low, some high, dependent on our last goodbye.

Buried Treasures or piled up trash? Reckoned by what’s within your dash!

That little line, defines your worth, from time of death, back to your birth.
Life’s all about, our firsts and lasts and in between with such contrasts!

Our deepest thoughts, our life’s forecasts, yet in the end, it’s all our pasts.
What life story does your box tell? Are you happy with this farewell?

Will your loved ones fondly reflect, upon your box with great respect?
If not, start NOW! Build your best box! Fill it with love; share your hard knocks,

Tell lessons learned, reveal the facts, disclose the joy of all your acts!
When you are gone, they’ll want to know, answers, details told long ago.

They’ll search the box, for hours on end, sweet memories, your touch transcends!
Make sure you share the key to find, the BOX of Life you leave behind.

This will become a treasure chest; your legacy, true and blessed!


Gayle Smith

11/10/08

Unpublished work © 2008 Gayle Smith

LifeStory Versions

Many LifeStories are simple chronological narratives. Some, on the other hand, have a specific theme or orientation.

For example,

Donor Thank You LifeStories - whereby an institution sponsors a LifeStory to be created in honor of a patron or supporter).

Corporate History - whereby the Subject discusses his corporate LifeStory.

Career LifeStory - a sort of "Mr. Holland's Opus" overview of a Subject's career.

Faith Witness - A LifeStory revisited in the context of a particular religious faith.

Fundraising LifeStory - Using the LifeStory as a mechanism to raise money for a group.

Couple's Life Story Package

Just in time for Valentine's Day, Priceless Legacy is thrilled to announce its first customized format for a LifeStory Package. We call it the "Couple's Life Story" package and it allows two people (presumably a married couple) to present their Life Story package together. The longer format includes two hours of interviews with each member of the pair (for four hours total), up to 150 photos and an approximate page count of 150 pages or so.

The price for the package is $1899 and includes one copy of the book, an audio DVD, a DVD slide show and a protective and decorative box.

It is inspiring just how many couples have indicated that they desired to be remembered forever just has they had lived their lives: together.

Transcriptionist/Editors

One of the unsung heroes of the Priceless Legacy process is our able force of freelance Transcriptionist/Editors. These "TEs," as we call them, are transcription and writing experts who live all over North America. We communicate with them via email and they do an outstanding job converting audio interviews from the field to the "narrative transcriptions" that are the base of the LifeStory text.

Most of these TEs work in relative anonymity and as such we honestly don't think much about how the privilege and impact of preserving LifeStories affects them too.

One wrote this as she submitted a finished job last night:

If you can, please pass on to the (Legacy Consultant) - and hopefully to (the Subject) - that this story touched me very deeply as I transcribed it. It made me cry, it made me laugh, and it made me reflect on my own life. Much of her life I saw in mine. I loved the way she spoke and the way she expressed her life philosophies - truly inspiring stuff. If you could maybe pass that on to her from the girl who transcribed her story, it would be great.

I love how life story capture impacts everyone in such a positive way.

Two More LifeStories Came in Today

Two more LifeStories came back from the printer today. They look great!

Why is LifeStory Preservation Important?

Life stories are critical to our understanding of who we are. As humans, we all have a basic psychological curiosity about where we are from, what shaped our beliefs and values, and how our life fits into society. Much as an adopted child will search for a biological parent or families trace their genealogy back generations, we all have a need to know and understand our roots.

Each minute, five Americans pass away. In most cases, their stories die with them since no attempt was made to capture and preserve those life stories. Therefore, there is urgency to our mission and we need to act quickly!

At Priceless Legacy, we believe that every life has dignity and that every life story should be preserved. It is important to the existing family and current generation, but even more important to future generations. Picture the excitement of a child reading about his or her great, great grandmother and what her life was like, the times in which she lived, the daily challenges, and the tragedies and the triumphs. Life stories help us answer questions about our past, avoid repeating mistakes, and address the challenges of the future.

Today, we have a unique opportunity and, we believe, an obligation to future generations. Advancements in digital recording, digital printing, information technology, and Internet communications have emerged that allow us the ability to provide LifeStory preservation at a reasonable price for all.

The Priceless Legacy Client Experience

The granddaughter of one of our first subjects speaks about her experience as a client of the Priceless Legacy Company.