[PaulMest]

This reminded me of a project from long ago. When I was growing up, I was not particularly good about expressing gratitude to my family. I recognized this in myself and in college and wanted to make up for lost time.

I went around and interviewed my extended family and some of my mom's friends over the course of about 6 months. I asked each person for any fun or touching stories they had. There were a lot. I edited down many hours of footage into a 45 minute video that basically said, "thanks for the last 22 years".

Days before I moved across country to start my job after graduation, I got the family together and had a viewing party. Unbeknownst to my mom this wasn't a going away party for me, it was an appreciation party for her. It was a wonderful moment.

Two people who I interviewed as part of this project have since passed away. So I dug up and digitized all of the unedited footage so that I can easily pull it up on my computer. There are some wonderful memories from my grandma and my father at a happier/healthier time in their lives. In their final years they were not really able to speak at all, so this footage really captures them at their relative best. It has been a helpful way for me and my family to deal with grief.

OP: Thank you for sharing your story. Sorry for your loss.