Do you have a legacy you’d like to leave to your children?
For instance, how would you like to be remembered?
What life lessons do you think you’ve passed on to your children?
Life Stories
If our life stories are our legacy then what would you like to pass on to future generations of your family?
On board the Sea Princess lovely Sophie (from Brighton, UK) and Waide (from Durban, South Africa) offer a service in which they interview, film, and then edit personalized documentary videos that are designed to help us preserve our life stories.
“We’re hoping to bring families closer through cinematic storytelling,” Sophie told me.
I was bowled over by the idea of it.
What a beautiful way to preserve precious memories and hand them down to future generations. I mean, do you really know what your parents thought and felt about each other? Do you have any idea about how they met, or how they felt when you were born, what you really meant to them as a child, or how they think they fared as parents raising you? Wouldn’t it be lovely to know?
Legacy Videos
Anyway, Dave and I were invited to a legacy video session with Waide and Sophie, two talented Video Producers on Sea Princess, and we were taken back to reliving and thinking about some of the special moments in our lives. Like the moment we first laid eyes on each other, what it felt like to fall in love, and we also had the chance to tell our loved ones on camera what they really mean to us.
Dave was asked, “What life lesson would you like to pass on to your children?” and he said, “If you want something enough and you work hard then good things will come.”
I was asked what advice would I have for our children, and I said: “Be good, be kind, follow your dreams and in any situation or relationship just give give give and give some more, and you’ll find the universe magically starts giving back.”
Insightful Questions
Sophie asked us some more innocently phrased but deeply leading questions which made us think about parts of our lives we really hadn’t thought about for years and years.
- How did we meet?
- What was it like growing up – what were things like in our childhoods?
- How did we feel when we first set eyes on each other?
- What attracted us to each other?
- What did we like so much about each other that we wanted to be with with each other forever?
- How did we feel when we held our first child in our arms for the very first time?
- If we could tell our children anything, what would it be?
- How did we think we’d fared as parents?
Well, let me tell you there were tears and there was laughter as we re-discovered parts of ourselves and thoughts which we’d buried for years.
The Emotional Truths
Like Dave only buying his suit on the morning of our wedding, like our dog Clyde knowing I was pregnant before we did, like how it felt moving to the Himalayas when Sam was just 5 weeks old, like how we met in a downtown Bangkok hotel in 1983, like how much our children mean to us and the life lessons we hope we’ve passed on.
My heart, my eyes and my throat seized up when Dave said I was his soul mate, I cried when I relived how it felt to hold my babies for the first time, and when Dave broke down in tears talking about what it meant to be a father, well I almost completely fell apart too.
It’s funny how you go through life and sort of skirt the serious stuff, forget the things that have held you together, discount the glue that binds you, until you are asked a leading question by someone else and you’re encouraged to re-visit private places that mean so much to you but which you never really think about during day to day life.
If you’re on a Princess Cruise, perhaps you’ll have the chance to compile your own Legacy, if not, why not compile your own at home?
So Lifestylers, please tell us in the comments – what would YOU like to be remembered for?
Dubai – City of Gold, from Rags to Riches
Christie Hawkes
August 27, 2018 at 8:05 pmWhat a lovely way to share your legacy with your progeny. I hope that my blog and journals will serve a similar purpose. I know since my brother passed away, I have stayed close to him and learned things about him that I never knew through his journals. I do like the idea of answering specific questions that get to the heart of things, and, of course, having it on video adds an extra dimension. Thanks for sharing this experience, Jo. #MLSTL
Johanna
September 7, 2018 at 4:09 pmThanks Christie 🙂 So glad that you have stayed close to your brother through his journals.
Johanna
September 21, 2018 at 10:41 amThanks Christie. I’m sorry to hear about your bother, but I’m so glad you feel close still.
Samantha Smith
August 24, 2018 at 8:09 pmWhat a great post! You sound to have had an interesting life I just love your outlook. Really enjoyed reading this
Johanna
August 27, 2018 at 4:55 pmThanks so much Samantha 🙂
Molly
August 24, 2018 at 5:13 amLeaving a legacy is a priority for me. I teach how to journal for legacy and I’m currently working on a photo memory project that marries childhood photos with accompanying narratives. This works well for me because I enjoy writing and the creative scrapbook process. I think a video alternative is a great idea! The talented team aboard the Sea Princess obviously did a terrific job of capturing the heart of your story. LOVELY 🙂
Johanna
August 27, 2018 at 4:59 pmWhat a wonderful project Molly! Yes, the talented Sea Princess team sure did know how to get to the essence of things 🙂
Agnes
August 24, 2018 at 1:52 amWhat a lovely article, Jo, and the photos of you and Dave are beautiful! and such a great idea!
Johanna
August 27, 2018 at 5:03 pmThank you Agnes 🙂
Leanne | www.crestingthehill.com.au
August 23, 2018 at 2:44 pmWhat a wonderful idea – I was approached by a company that does photo books with a multitude of these questions to answer. It all seemed to hard to me to put it all down – and I thought “who would read it?”- the kids might flick through it but there would be a LOT of stuff to read through. A video makes so much more sense – fun to watch, things to learn and a memory of the people who are being filmed. It all sounds like a fantastic idea – now I want to have one too!
#MLSTL 🙂
Johanna
August 27, 2018 at 5:04 pmHope you do get to do one Leanne – it is a great memento to keep for the children 🙂
Donna
August 23, 2018 at 11:58 amYou first met your husband at a hotel in Bangkok….and you moved to the Himalayas when one of your children was just 5 weeks old?! I definitely want to know more about your life story too!!
Johanna
August 27, 2018 at 5:06 pmYup! Sometimes it all seems a bit like a dream Donna 🙂 Thank you for your kind words 🙂
Denyse Whelan
August 23, 2018 at 10:59 amThis is such a great idea. I think one of the reasons I started writing my memoir as a part of my blogging schedule is for family. However as time goes on I may make it private as it is not my place to mention some of the life events that have affected us all and our kids and grandkids. Nevertheless, unless something is left, no-one will know the stories that make us who we are!
Denyse #MLSTL
Johanna
August 27, 2018 at 5:19 pmI think writing for family is a very fine legacy, and also letting others know how you deal with life events can be very helpful Denyse 🙂
Sally Wessely
August 23, 2018 at 8:58 amI do like your ideas. Leaving a legacy for those whom come after you is so important. Thanks for sharing.
Johanna
August 27, 2018 at 5:19 pmThanks Sally 🙂
Sue from Sizzling Towards 60 & Beyond
August 23, 2018 at 8:40 amHi Jo, what a lovely post and it made me think. I would like my legacy for my children and grandchildren to be as a role model and leading by example to be fit, active and above all a generous and caring human being. Thank you for linking up and being part of our #MLSTL community. Have a beautiful day xx
Johanna
August 27, 2018 at 5:20 pmI love your legacy Sue, you’re an inspiration 🙂
Leslie Clingan
August 23, 2018 at 5:18 amI love this!!! Sophie’s questions are thought-provoking. I am going to ask them of my husband to see how he answers. Years ago I gave my mom a Mother’s Journal that she has completed almost entirely, with the best stories, anecdotes, memories. It is a treasure. Now I have one to complete myself and need to get busy working on it as last time I looked, I’m not getting any younger.
Johanna
August 27, 2018 at 5:34 pmHi Leslie, I’d love to know how your husband responds. What a great idea to give your Mum a Mother’s Journal.
Life Images by Jill
June 10, 2016 at 4:51 pmwow, what an amazing experience this must have been to go through. Probably things came out about each other that had never been put into words before. Priceless.
Johanna
June 10, 2016 at 6:23 pmThey did Jill 🙂 It was very moving and tear jerking!
Linda Fairbairn
June 8, 2016 at 7:41 pmWith so much time at sea to think and ponder –
And being in an environment totally separated from your usual day to day routine lives I have a feeling it would be a perfect place to create a visual memoir ~
Do they edit the film down to a fixed time frame?
And what is the cost?
I have a suspicion that that could end up one of the best ‘souvenirs’ of the trip!
In case this inspires anyone here on terra firma a friend in Adelaide – Annie Payne – has a great site called ‘History from the Heart’ that gives lots of pointers to help you record family history for posterity 🙂
Johanna
June 9, 2016 at 11:35 amHi Linda, thanks for the heads up regarding Annie Payne – I shall definitely visit her site and I think other readers will too because family history gets to be all the more important I think as we get older. Yes, they do edit the film to a fixed time frame, and yes I think many people will take a Legacy Video home as one of the best souvenirs 🙂
Kathy Marris
June 8, 2016 at 3:58 pmWhat a fabulous idea. I decided a long time ago to write a letter to each of my children to let them know how I feel about them and how proud I am as a parent. However I never thought to tell them about my relationship with their dad and how much I loved him from the moment I set eyes on him. I think this is wonderful and I’d say I would probably shed a tear or two having to reveal my feelings on a video. I get very emotional when it comes to family stuff. The one thing I would like to be remembered for is my strength and tenacity.
Johanna
June 9, 2016 at 11:37 amLove your idea Kathy 🙂 and yes I can imagine you would, like we did, shed a few tears revealing your feelings out loud on video. I like your legacy x